Enter your pump's wattage and daily pumping time to size a direct-drive solar array (no battery) for livestock, irrigation, or remote water needs.
Direct-drive solar water pumps run only while the sun is out, with output tapering at the start and end of the day — sizing the panel somewhat larger than the pump's rated wattage compensates for less-than-ideal sun conditions.
Livestock watering and irrigation don't need continuous power the way a home does, so most off-grid solar pump setups connect the panel directly to the pump with no battery in between — the pump simply runs whenever the sun is strong enough, which for most livestock and garden irrigation needs is entirely sufficient. This keeps the system simpler and cheaper than a battery-backed setup like our full off-grid calculator covers for house loads.
Not usually — most are designed to run directly off the panel during sunny hours, which is sufficient for tasks like livestock watering or daytime irrigation that don't require round-the-clock operation.
Output drops proportionally with reduced sunlight — for applications needing guaranteed daily water delivery regardless of weather, pairing the pump with a small storage tank filled during sunny periods is the common workaround rather than adding batteries.