Time to sharpen up! – Solar Powered Water Supply

1st June, 2018

Deep in the hills between Marton and Whanganui we have installed a fully self-sufficient reticulated water supply. Approximately 20 years ago AgFirst Engineering’s Founder and Managing Director Ian Howatson designed a diesel powered water supply for Alan Caves dry stock property. The system has been sufficient for all of these years but the time has come to sharpen things up together with the worlds best technology. Davieth Verheij, Director and Manager of AgFirst Engineering Waikato designed the new high pressure solar powered progressive cavity pumping system. Alan Cave came to Davieth after some key springs dried up on the property and wanted something simple and efficient to distribute water when and where it is needed.

The result is a 1.8 kW solar powered river take delivering 1.3m3/hr at an operating head of 145m or 213 PSI to a header tank. From this point the stock water reticulation system is completely gravity fed. It is not as simple as just chucking a pump in the river with some solar panels. We found the perfect location that allowed us to install a subsurface water intake within solid ground of which was out of the way of what can be significant flood waters and high river velocities and debris.

Talk to AgFirst Engineering about anything water and waste water.