White Flat Road Dairy Farm

Solar Panel Water Pump System

Kiwis and their number 8 wire mentality have always been looking for innovative farming solutions that offer low running costs and benefit their business. We’re starting to see the next generation of Kiwi farmers jumping on alternative, cost-effective energy solutions to improve their businesses; like adopting the latest in solar powered water pump systems to water their livestock.

Working with the latest in solar technology, Nind Dairy Services, with Davey Pumps have installed a solar powered pump successfully on a farm and are seeing excellent results from it, with set up costs at around $10,000 and the Solaris Pro Pump delivering approx. 30,000 litres per day.

The pump is installed in a freshwater pond site and pumps with a submersible pumping system that uses an inverter to vary the speed at which the pump runs based off the solar power levels at that time, so the pump slows in the evenings and ramps up during peak sunshine and during the summer months. Backup batteries can also be installed to have the system run more consistently, but really, it’s an ideal set up – as when it’s hot and sunny, your stock needs more water – and the system meets that by pumping faster to meet stock demand. Another option would be to install additional solar panels which would increase the power and the pumping rate of the system.

Could your farm benefit from a Solar Panel Water Pump System?

With the Solaris Pro Pump working via solar panels, once the system has its initial set up costs, there are very little running costs as it supplies its own energy. That means effectively 30,000 of free stock water each day at no extra costs. Furthermore, the cost of install is comparatively minimal as getting power to this kind of remote site would have been at a far greater cost than the solar panel installation costs. People from outside the Southland region might say down South doesn’t have the sunlight levels for this kind of setup, but a large portion of the region receives between 1600 hours and 1750 hours of bright sunshine annually.

This kind of set up is ideal for use on farms water reserves that were previously not considered due to the costs of getting power to the site. They could be more effectively utilised as stock water reserves. It’s a great set up to get installed before the summer months, so you don’t get caught out. Increasing and ensuring your dairy herd has access to fresh clean water, year-round, will increase uptake and milk production, increasing your yields and your bottom dollar and with this setup, that comes as no additional running costs.

Interested? Contact the team at Nind Dairy Services today.

We have farms running sheep, beef and dairy, with the dairy herds we have one with 380 cows and one with 500. Altogether the land comes in at about 5,000 acres, but that includes fattening paddocks etc. We visited outback Queensland recently and noticed the change from windmills and petrol motor pumps for water to solar-powered pumps. You’re talking acres of solar.

The pressure for us is really only in the summer months, so the Solaris Pro is a simple solution – on a hot day, the sun shines, and water flows. Another big draw with a solar pump set-up is we wanted to have something that didn’t create yet another job for staff on the farm. We don’t have to rely on staff to fill the pump with petrol or to keep such a close eye on the water levels. If we run out of water in summer, it can take us forever to catch up. Looking at our allocated water, we really should have enough but somewhere, somehow, we fall short. The Solaris Pro is our insurance policy.

We like working with Nind Dairy Services in Balclutha because they’re local. It’s important for us to support local businesses as if you don’t, one day you’ll have to travel further for that service. The Nind Dairy Services team are friendly, professional and good to deal with. With the Solaris, I’ve been surprised to see it running even on cloudy days. It’s been getting a lot of interest, I’ve been telling people it’s for SkyTV at the maimai, but it’s a serious option that we’re considering on one of our other farms; it doesn’t come with the same level of setup costs, or the ongoing labour, which makes it a viable option to consider.

– VAWN WRIGLEY – WHITE FLAT ROAD DAIRY FARM