What happens when you live in a developing country and need water to irrigate your crops, but you don’t have access to the energy required to reach it? You can’t simply flip a switch that’s connected to a power grid. This is when harnessing the sun’s energy for use as solar power can be life-changing.

Accessible, clean water is necessary for more than drinking. World Bank reports that over 70% of fresh water is used for agriculture in most regions of the world. That percentage increases to 80-90% of water consumed for areas in developing countries.

Additionally, over 60% of the world’s population depends on agriculture for survival, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). What does all this mean if it doesn’t rain and there is no dependable irrigation system? It means that crops fail, and people suffer.

Fortunately, there is a solution that improves food security, increases community wellness, and reduces poverty: solar-powered water pumps.

In this article, we’ll discuss what are solar pumps, how solar-powered water pumps work and their benefits. Let’s start with how they work.

How Do Solar-Powered Water Pumps Work?

Essentially, solar-powered water pumps work by converting the sun’s rays (photons) to electricity that will operate the water pump. It uses solar panels to collect the photons (units of light) from sunlight, producing the direct current (DC) that provides the energy for the motor to pump water out from its source. An inverter is used if the pump motor needs alternating current (AC) rather than DC.