Farm pump power sized for your actual irrigation season
Your irrigation pump runs 4 hours a day in July and zero in January. PowerLab sizes the solar + battery for exactly that — not an annual average that over-spends half the year.
Seasonal demand modeling
Set peak irrigation months explicitly. Solar array sized for those, not an annual average.
Pump start-surge accounted for
Inductive pump loads have 3× starting current. Wire + fuse + inverter sized for the surge, not just running watts.
Livestock + electric-fence combined
Critical loads (stock water, fence energizer) modeled alongside the seasonal pump.
Rural wire runs
Long distances at ag sites mean voltage drop matters. ABYC-grade wire sizing flags undersized runs to the pump.
Typical loads we already model
These are realistic watt draws and duty cycles pulled from the PowerLab appliance catalog. When you start a design, you pick from this catalog and customize \u2014 nothing to re-type.
| Load | Watts | Hrs/day | Wh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation pump (3 HP, 240V) | 2,200 | 4 | 8,800 |
| Livestock water pump (1 HP) | 750 | 3 | 2,250 |
| Electric fence energizer | 50 | 24 | 1,200 |
| LED barn lights | 60 | 3 | 180 |
| Remote-monitoring modem | 30 | 24 | 720 |
| Sample total | 13,150 Wh/day |
Typical real-world band for this niche: 2,000\u201315,000 Wh/day (midpoint 8,500). Your actual number depends on your gear and how you use it; PowerLab calculates it exactly.
Ask these once your design is loaded
PowerLab Co-Pilot sees your exact design and can answer questions in plain English. Starter prompts for this niche:
- \u203aWill my inverter handle the starting surge of a 3HP irrigation pump?
- \u203aSize solar for 4 hours/day of pumping during June–August only.
- \u203aWhat size wire run to the pump 200 feet from the panel?
Frequently asked
Can I run a 3HP irrigation pump on solar?
Yes — typically 2500–3500W of panels + 400Ah of LiFePO4 covers 4 hours/day of 3HP pumping in summer peak-sun regions. Winter draw is usually near zero so the system sizes around summer.
What about the pump starting surge?
A 3HP motor pulls 7–10HP for the first half-second. Your inverter needs a surge rating well above that. PowerLab’s compliance check flags undersized inverters.
Do I need a generator backup?
For livestock water, yes — animals die without water. For irrigation-only, not usually — a week of cloudy weather during irrigation season is rare.
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