Solar Pumping

Solar pumping has become quite a large industry over the previous few years

since the decline of the windmill. As windmills grow older and more tired the job

they have been doing becomes less and less efficient. WELCOME solar pumps, the ideas itself has been around for years but only perfected in more recent years. Where as the windmill will only pump when windy and only as much as the wind can produce, a solar system is set up so it will pump for the 6-8 main sunlight hours in the Day at a constant flow meaning more efficient and dependable water flow every day.

How a Solar Pump Works:

The photovoltaic effect produces a flow of electrons. Electrons are excited by particles of light and find the attached electrical circuit the easiest path to travel from one side of the solar cell to the other. Envision a piece of metal such as the side panel of a car. As it sits in the sun, the metal warms. This warming is caused by the excitation of electrons, bouncing back and forth, creating friction, and therefore, heat. The solar cell merely takes a percentage of these electrons and directs them to flow in a path.

This flow of electrons is, by definition, electricity. Photovoltaics or solar electric cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. This electricity is collected by the wiring in the module, then supplied to the DC pump controller and motor, which, in turn, pumps water when-ever the sun shines.

Daily Flow Rates minute by minute flow is irrelevant to a system that pumps from dawn to dusk. The figures are based on daily average performance of a pump. Flow will be highest on sunny days when you need the water most.

On cloudy days the Solar pump keeps working even in low light. When it is cloudy the pump will slow down but because it has no minimum speed (unlike a centrifugal pump), it will keep delivering water.

Weather Resistance Solar panels are far more cyclone resistant than windmills. During storms a tracking array assumes the angle of least resistance to the wind. The toughened glass panels are famous for their resistance to hail.

Pump & Panel life The pumps can last for decades. It is not yet known how long it takes to wear out solar panels.

The first installations from the manufacturer are still going strong over 10 years later and their owners expect many more years of reliable pumping power. And with a warranty of 25years on the panels you should expect to see it continue to pump on til then.

How Mono Solar Pumps work without batteries Other solar pump motors need batteries to keep up speed, wasting up to 30% of the electrical energy in the process. Mono Solar Pumps use the same DC (direct current) produced by the panels.

Store Energy as Water The simplest way to store solar energy is to use gravity by pumping water into elevated tanks.

Budgeting for Solar A solar pumping system costs about the same as an old-fashioned windmill. And your Solar Powered Pump will quickly pay for itself in savings on diesel, petrol or electricity.

Water Level Protection Like any electric pump, your solar pump can be controlled with pressure and/or float switches. A connector on the control box makes it easy to protect against dry bores or full water storage.

Lorentz Pumps:

The Lorentz Solar pump systems have been around for many years and continue to be one of the industries leading solar pumping companies.

Lorentz pumps are made high quality stainless steel parts. All Lorentz pumps have protection against reverse polarity, overloads and high temperatures. Lorentz pumps are available with 2 different solar panel systems for more efficient operation (See Below Tracking Arrays)

All Lorentz pumps are backed by a 2 years manufactures warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

Tracking Arrays:

Your solar pump system can either be installed with either a fixed panel solar system which will provide you with a good amount of sun during the day, or a Tracking array system, which every night turns round to face the east then will follow the sun until it sets in the west, then at night it will return to the east to set itself right for the morning. These systems are a more efficient system as they are getting direct sunlight pretty much all day where as the fixed array may only get partial solar gain in some parts of the day and extensive gain in other parts of the day.