Choosing the Best Remote Solar Watering System for Your Farm: Top Factors to Consider

Remote Solar Watering Systems are a popular alternative to directly watering livestock from surface sources. By fencing off dugouts and pumping water into a trough you prevent your livestock from entering the water source. This provides your livestock with clean water and prevents a drop in water quality during grazing season.

Whether you’re purchasing a new remote watering system or looking to build your own, choosing the best system for your livestock can be overwhelming. That’s why we came up with a list of the top factors you need to consider to ensure your solar watering system is efficient and reliable in the pasture.

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Solar Watering System

1. Direct-Drive vs Battery-Powered Systems

The two types of solar watering systems are Direct-Drive Systems and Battery Powered Systems.

• Direct-drive systems use direct energy from the sun to power a pump that delivers water from the source to the trough.
• Battery-powered systems convert energy from the sun and stores that energy in a battery to power the pump.

2. Solar Panel Size

For direct-drive systems:

• The only power source for this type of system is the energy directly captured from the sun.
• Solar panels need to be large enough to be able to supply the pump with power on cloudy days when energy output is low.

For battery-powered systems:

• Solar panels can be smaller as this type of system has energy storage.
• This type of system still needs to be able to capture enough energy to recharge batteries during cloudy periods.

3. Energy Storage

Only battery-powered systems utilize batteries to store energy. This allows them to operate at maximum efficiency on cloudy days and at night.

• Batteries should store at least 3 days of power to ensure there's enough energy reserved to operate the pump on cloudy days.
• Ensure you're using deep cycle batteries that can handle constant changes in battery levels.
• Store batteries in an insulated, weatherproof box to protect them from extreme weather and maintain their useful life.

4. Trough and Pump Size

Consider the following factors when choosing the trough and pump size of your water system:

• The trough should be able to hold at least 25% of your herd's daily water requirements.
• Once the trough is empty, the pump should be able to refill the trough in 1 hour.
• There should be enough space for 20-30% of your herd to drink at once.
• Direct-drive systems require a larger trough than battery-powered systems to ensure there is enough water stored for your livestock on cloudy days when energy output is minimal.

5. Portability

Deciding whether a permanent or a portable watering system is better for you depends on the reliability of your water sources and your grazing plan.

Consider a permanent watering system if:

• You have one water source that can supply water for the entire grazing period, year after year.
• The water source is in a central location where livestock don't have to travel too far for water.
• Your grazing plan does not require you to move your livestock to different areas.

Consider a portable solar watering system if:

• You rely on multiple water sources to provide water for your livestock during their grazing period.
• Your grazing plan requires you to move your livestock to different areas.

6. Distance to the Pasture

Solar water systems require visual inspection to ensure the trough is full and everything is working properly.

You want to choose a watering system that you can rely on to deliver water to your livestock on hot, sunny days when their water needs increase and on cloudy days when energy output from your water system is low.

For extra peace of mind, you can monitor the status of your watering systems with a HerdHand Monitor.

With the HerdHand you can:

• Monitor the water and battery levels of your water system from your phone.
• Receive text alerts when the water or battery levels go low.

Conclusion

When the time comes for you to install a remote solar watering system in the pasture, be sure to review this article again so you can choose the right watering system for your livestock. By considering these factors, you are ensuring that your livestock will have access to clean, fresh water for the entirety of their grazing period.