CircuitMix Tools › Solar Pump Sizing Calculator
Solar Pump Sizing Calculator
Estimate solar water pump power, PV panel size, daily pumping energy and battery backup from water demand, flow rate, head, pump efficiency and peak sun hours.
☀️ Field Rule: Solar pump sizing depends mainly on daily water volume, total dynamic head and available sun hours. Use this with the Solar Panel Output Calculator, Peak Sun Hours Calculator, Solar Battery Backup Calculator, Solar Panel Cleaning Loss Calculator and Solar Inverter Size Calculator.
💧 Solar Panels → Controller → Pump → Water Tank
PV ARRAY SOLAR PUMP controller / drive DC SOLAR PUMP WATER TANK — W pump · — Wp solar Enter water demand, head and sun hours to size the solar pump.
Daily Water Requirement
Pumping Hours per Day
Total Dynamic Head
Pump Efficiency
Controller / Motor Efficiency
Peak Sun Hours
PV Oversize Margin
Panel Wattage
Pump Type
Total dynamic head should include static water lift, drawdown, tank height, pressure requirement and pipe friction loss.
Presets:irrigationborewellhome tank
Static Water Lift
Drawdown / Water Level Drop
Tank Height / Delivery Lift
Pipe Friction Loss
Pressure Requirement
Safety Margin
Use this tab to estimate total dynamic head, then copy the result into the main pump sizing tab.
Pump Electrical Power
Backup Pumping Time
Battery Bank Voltage
Depth of Discharge
Inverter / Controller Efficiency
Battery Reserve Margin
For most irrigation systems, water tank storage is often cheaper and more reliable than large battery storage.

📐 Formula Reference

Flow Rate
Flow = daily water volume ÷ pumping hours
Hydraulic Power
P hydraulic = ρ × g × flow × head
Pump Electrical Power
P electrical = hydraulic power ÷ pump efficiency ÷ controller efficiency
PV Array Size
PV Wp ≈ daily pump energy ÷ peak sun hours × margin

📋 Quick Reference

Main Inputs
Water demandL/day
Total headm
Sun hoursPSH
Head Includes
Static liftwell/tank
Friction losspipe
Pressureirrigation
Practical Notes
Water tankbest backup
PV margin20–40%
Check pump curvemust

📚 Engineering Notes

Pump curve is essentialFinal pump selection must match the pump curve at your required flow and total dynamic head.
Use water storage where possibleA raised water tank often gives cheaper backup than batteries for irrigation and borewell systems.
Check solar productionUse the Solar Panel Output Calculator and Peak Sun Hours Calculator to refine PV array size.
Complete electrical designFor wiring and inverter checks, use the Solar Cable Loss Calculator, Solar Inverter Size Calculator and Solar Battery Backup Calculator.

What is a Solar Pump Sizing Calculator?

A solar pump sizing calculator estimates the pump power and PV panel size needed to move a required amount of water per day. It is useful for solar borewell pumps, irrigation pumps, farm water supply, livestock watering and rooftop tank filling.

How to size a solar water pump

Start with daily water requirement, pumping hours and total dynamic head. The calculator converts water volume to flow rate, calculates hydraulic power, adjusts for pump and controller efficiency, then estimates the solar panel wattage needed from peak sun hours.

Solar pump design workflow

Use the Peak Sun Hours Calculator for sun availability, the Solar Panel Output Calculator for PV production, the Solar Cable Loss Calculator for long cable runs, and the Solar Battery Backup Calculator if backup operation is needed.

Important limitation

This calculator gives a planning estimate. Final selection must consider pump curve, borewell yield, pipe diameter, friction loss, controller limits, dry-run protection, water quality, installation depth and local electrical rules.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on pump power, pumping hours, total head, water volume and peak sun hours. This calculator estimates PV wattage from daily pumping energy and sun hours.
Not always. Many solar pump systems run directly during sunlight and store water in a tank. Battery backup is useful only when pumping is needed without sun.
Total dynamic head is the total pumping head including static lift, drawdown, delivery height, pressure requirement and pipe friction loss.
🔗 Related Tools
🌞Peak Sun Hours 📈Solar Panel Output 📉Solar Cable Loss 🔋Solar Battery Backup ⚡Solar Inverter Size 🧽Cleaning Loss