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  3. Solar vs AC Borehole Pump: Which Costs Less to Run?

Solar vs AC Borehole Pump: Which Costs Less to Run?

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Short answer: a solar borehole pump costs nothing to run once it is installed, and it keeps pumping during load shedding. An AC pump is cheaper to buy, but you pay for every litre in electricity, and it stops when the power goes off. For most homes, farms and smallholdings in South Africa, solar pays for itself within a few years.

What it costs to run an AC pump

Running cost = pump power (kW) × hours a day × days × your electricity price.

Example (your tariff will differ): a 1.1kW AC pump running 5 hours a day uses 5.5 kWh a day, or about 2,000 kWh a year. At R3.50 per kWh that is about R7,000 a year, and electricity prices go up every year.

A solar pump of similar output runs straight from its own panels in daylight, so the yearly electricity cost is R0.

Other differences

  • Load shedding: a solar pump keeps working through load shedding on sunny days. An AC pump needs Eskom or a generator.
  • Remote boreholes: solar needs no long cable or trench from the house or the nearest pole. On farms this alone can cost more than the pump.
  • Pumping times: a solar pump only runs in daylight, so you store water in a JoJo tank for the night. An AC pump can run at any hour.
  • Wear: solar pumps start softly and run at variable speed through the day, which is easy on the motor.
  • Batteries: not needed. The tank is your "battery".

When AC (or both) makes sense

  • You need large volumes at night or in long cloudy spells.
  • You already have cheap, reliable power right at the borehole.

A hybrid pump gives you both: our PUIN pump runs on solar during the day and on AC power when you need it.

Choosing the right solar pump

Use our pump selector or the guide How to choose a solar borehole pump, or browse the borehole pump range.

The Sun Pays has supplied solar power, AC and DC water pumps and solar water heating across South Africa since 2007, with our own South African technical team for advice, repairs and support. Questions? WhatsApp 082 515 1655, call 012 734 0915 or email sales@thesunpays.co.za.

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