Off-Grid Solutions — Livestock Watering
Solar Livestock Watering in Alberta
Solar water pumps for cattle on wells and dugouts, sized to the herd and the well. We store water, not electricity, so there is no battery to replace, no FortisAlberta interconnection, and no micro-generation application.
Call Us Directly
(587) 330-7502
Free 15-Minute Design Review
Tell us your herd size and water source and we will size a system and walk you through the grant.
Store Water, Not Electricity
The mistake people make with solar watering is trying to build a battery system so the pump runs at night. Cattle do not drink on a schedule that needs it. The panels run the pump through the daylight hours, the pump fills a tank, and the herd draws from that tank around the clock. Sizing storage instead of a battery bank is cheaper to buy and has nothing to wear out.
Because it never touches the grid, a solar watering system needs no FortisAlberta interconnection and no micro-generation application. Ground-mounted panels need an electrical permit; there is no building permit for a ground mount.
How We Size It: The Limit Is the Well
Alberta Agriculture plans on about 15 imperial gallons of water per day for a cow-calf pair. A herd of 100 pairs then drinks roughly 1,500 imperial gallons a day, close to 1,800 US gallons, and most of it in the hot afternoon hours. A well that gives 4 to 5 US gallons per minute can produce that in six to seven and a half hours of pumping, which a summer day of Alberta sun supports comfortably.
The constraint is almost never the pump or the panels. It is how fast the well or dugout can give up water. So we check your source flow first, then set storage to carry three to four days and to cover the peak drinking window. If the well is thin, the answer is more storage, not a bigger pump.
Three System Sizes
Real equipment classes, not a fixed price. Bare do-it-yourself pump kits from prairie suppliers run about $4,000 to $9,000 for the equipment class we install. Our systems are supplied installed, sized to your well, and warranted, so they sit above a drop-off kit. We quote the whole system on request.
Small
12 to 20 head, drilled well
A single Grundfos SQFlex on a shallow drilled well with two pole-top panels, controller, float and a low-water probe. Water pumps to a tank sized for three to four days. This is the pump-and-power tier: you already have a trough, we bring the pump and the array.
Typical
Complete system with trough
The recommended build. Pump, panels, controller, storage tank and a poly trough, sized to the herd and the well. Add a 1,000 gallon tank when the well is slow and the herd is drinking hard through July. This is the one most operations should buy.
Large
100-plus pairs on a dugout
A larger SQFlex pumping from a dugout with a screened floating intake, feeding 1,800 to 2,500 US gallons of storage so peak afternoon drinking never outruns the pump. For herds moved between pastures, this is where a portable pump trailer starts to make sense.
The Grant That Halves the Cost
The On-Farm Water Supply program covers 50% of eligible off-source solar watering, up to $40,000, and it is open through March 2028. Off-source watering means moving cattle off a dugout or creek and onto a pumped, stored supply, which is exactly what these systems do. We size and quote the system; you submit the application.
For farms and businesses the Clean Technology investment tax credit is a 30% refundable credit that solar equipment is expected to qualify for. Confirm the details with your accountant.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Off-Grid Solutions
Get Your Herd Watered
Book a free 15-minute design review. We size the system to your well and herd, quote it, and walk you through the grant. Typical installs run two to six weeks out.
Serving farms and ranches across Alberta.