3 Solar-Powered Irrigation Ideas to Conserve Water and Cut Electricity Costs
If you have a gardening hobby or just like your landscaping to be attractive, irrigation is an important thing. With modern solutions to conserve water, such as grey-water recycling and rain collection, there is the added component of a pump to power the irrigation. Going solar can give you green irrigation and less electricity use to make your system completely energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Here are some ideas to integrate renewable energy into the design of your landscaping irrigation.
1. Directly Watering with Grey Water to Use No Energy and Avoid Problems
If you plan on recycling grey water, you may not want to store it. This can cause problems with bacteria and contamination if it is not filtered correctly. A better solution can be to directly irrigate areas of your garden with grey water. This can be done with drainage from appliances like the dish washer and washing machine. If you have a vegetable garden, this can be a great solution to keep plants watered for a bountiful harvest. This system will still need to have a minimal amount of filtration as well as care using chemicals like bleach and other cleaners.
2. Installing a Small Pond Pump That Can Power Small Drip-Irrigation Lines
Drip irrigation can be another good solution that you may want to consider for your homes watering needs. This can be a simple solution for irrigation if you have a small amount of grass to water and a lot of other landscaping plants. With drip systems, you will be able to power the system with a small pump that needs little power. For this, a garden pond pump may be just enough for what you need for watering your landscaping.
3. Larger Solar Panels and Batteries to Provide Power to Sprinkler-Pump Systems
If you want to use a sprinkler system, you will need to have an installation that has enough pressure to power your irrigation. For this, a professionally installed sprinkler system and solar pump will do the trick. Depending on the amount of sprinkler heads, you may need to have a larger solar-panel system to power a larger pump. The pump and panel can be installed in an inconspicuous area to not affect the appearance of your landscaping.
These are some ideas that can help you integrate energy-efficient solutions into the design of your landscaping irrigation. If you are ready for an environmentally-friendly solution for watering your lawn, contact a solar energy dealer such as Renogy and talk with them about getting a starter kit to power your irrigation system.