Are you aware that your pool pump is one of the largest consumers of power of your household or business? Its daily operation can cost anywhere from $600 to $1200 per year in electricity as well as contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. With this in mind, it can be seen that, switching to a solar pump should be a consideration, not just for saving money but also for benefiting the environment. If you have been wondering on just how this technical marvel works, then you are in the right place. Below we’ll go into the inner workings in the rest of this article.
Solar Pool Pumps – A Cost Saving Alternative
Solar pool pumps operate and look similar to your standard pool pump but are far quieter. Beginning when the sun shines on the photovoltaic solar panels, they work all day to move the water of the pool effectively through your filter. This keeps your other pool equipment working when you need it the most, especially during the daytime heat.
The functionality of this group of pumps is similar to the other pumps whose working principle is the opposite of that of a Francis turbine that rotates due to the effect of the potential energy stored in water. The difference between the pump and a turbine is that the turbine has water, wind or sun as the prime mover to produce electricity. A pump uses electricity to pump water or any other fluid from one point to the other.
Solar pool pumps work in the principle of centrifugal pumps whereby we have the impellers of the pump coupled up to a fast rotating shaft. This shaft is then connected to a source of energy such as the free rays of the sun.
Harnessing the Sun
The solar energy is harnessed by the use of solar panels whose function is to absorb the energy from the sun’s rays and convert it to direct current electric power. The pump can not use the direct current power as most of them are designed to run on alternating current, thus the direct current from the solar panel is directed to an alternator. In this case, it is a generator that then finally produces alternating current which powers the pump.
As a start, it is normally good to know the ratings of the pump in terms of energy consumption rates before buying a solar panel. This is because there are energy losses during the energy conversion from solar to the alternating electric power thus knowing it will enable you to choose the correctly rated solar panel. Also with sunshine being variable, the speed of the pump will also be variable. The pump and the solar panel array must be accurately sized for each installation. This will be the responsibility of the company installing the pump.
If you are looking for a way to lower the cost that comes with your fun splashing in the pool, then these solar pool pumps should be considered. Installing these types of pool pumps in your homes as will save much money in electric bills per year as once you have them set up correctly. At least one part of paying high electric bills per month will be dealt with.
The author of this article is Edrick Hypolite, a man who cares about the future of this planet who tries to find every way he can to go green and save money in the long run. For his local solar energy solution, he always turns to the expert technicians at Bob Heinmiller Solar Solutions. You can learn more about Edrick if you visit on Google+.
