Irrigation goes solar in Mer – Ribeira Sacra – Galicia
It wasn’t easy to find the perfect pumping solution. High quality slow solar driven pumps with a decent lift are far and few between.
In Germany I finally found a wholesaler who can supply well manufactured pumps with lifts of 10, 20 or 30 Meters. Solenoid based, with only few moving parts, they allow dry running and on a ridiculously small panel deliver. Ours does 400+L / day with 7.5 Meter total lift.
Using two connected 1m3 plastic tanks we run irrigation to the poly-tunnel and further water hungry plants like tomatoes.
After the initial lift the tanks deliver enough gravity feed to even water plants in the green house. We also water bushes and new trees directly to the roots when needed. It avoids heavy sudden demands on water sources. Water reaching the plants doesn’t come as a shock. I works at maximum performance exactly when needed.
The advantage of the whole system is it’s slow. So the water has time to penetrate, individual watering minimises evaporation and dosing is much easier than with high pressure systems.
The full article with lots of details as well as pricing is here:
Eco a solar powered watering solution in Galicia
The pump is not cheap but comes as a complete kit and I do have some here in Galicia Spain, but can easily deliver in the rest of Europe.
Expat
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