Farming has been an essential part of food production for centuries and it is still one of the most important sectors in the agricultural industry.
However, providing adequate water for livestock can be challenging, especially in remote areas where access to electricity and water is limited. Solar water pumps have emerged as not just a sustainable solution for providing water for stock but are often now, due to falling PV panel prices and rising electricity costs, the most cost-effective option as well.
If you have sun and a water source, then installing a solar pumping solution can and probably will save you time, stress, and money.
The two most common types of solar pumps are submersible and surface, which as the names suggest can either be placed in a bore, dam, creek, or beside a tank or spring.
Here at Perkinz we have been providing livestock water solutions for farmers all over New Zealand and Australia for years and we have a full range of pumping solutions that cater for anything from a small lifestyle block with just a few sheep, right up to large commercial dairy farms and everything in between.
Different animals have different water requirements, and the water needs of an animal can vary depending on its age, weight, and the climate.
The amount of water needed is obviously dependant on the number and type of livestock. For instance, sheep require less water than cattle.
As a general rule of thumb (do your own research on this as opinions vary) dairy cattle will drink around 50 litres of water per day and around 8 litres for a lactating sheep. This drops to about 30 litres for beef cattle and 3 to 4 litres for sheep.
We believe it’s sensible to err on the side of caution with regards to how much water you estimate you require and when dealing with us we are conservative on how much water we state our systems will provide as we have never had a grumpy phone call from a farmer saying he is pumping too much water.
The main factors to take in when looking at a potential solar water pumping system for your sheep or cattle are
- Height you need the water pumped.
- Distance you need the water pumped and pipe size.
- Water source. E.g., Do you need a surface or submersible pump?
- Water needed on average per summer day
- Distance of solar panels from pump.
For more information, check out our range of pumping solutions here