Start / Water and irrigation / Pumping, energy and cost
See how many panels and how much area the irrigation pump requires for the number of hours it will run on sun.
Pre-sizing and estimating tool: the results do not replace a design, calculation, or report signed by a qualified professional, nor verification against the applicable standards.
Photovoltaic power required for each number of pumping hours; the highlighted bar is yours.
Photovoltaic power required in places with different HSP; the dot is your location.
Drag the controls to simulate data different from what you entered (from 30% less to 30% more) and watch the result change instantly.
Photovoltaic power and number of panels for HSP of 4 to 6.5 kWh/m²/day, with the pump and panel you entered.
The calculation done in steps, with the values you entered.
Improvement cash flow: investment in year 0 and annual savings adjusted by the entered increase, discounted at the minimum attractive rate of return (TMA).
The calculation memo gathers this page's inputs, results, equations, assumptions, and references, with fields for project, responsible person, and review. The full report also includes the charts and interpretations, in color. In the print window, choose Save as PDF.
The card Project return shows the payback, NPV and IRR of the investment, with the year-by-year cash flow. The values are hypothetical and should be replaced with yours.
Enter the pump's power, how many hours it runs per day on sunlight, the site's irradiation (HSP), the system performance (PR), and the panel you intend to use. The calculator shows the photovoltaic power, the number of panels, and the area.
Pump of 15 kW for 8 hours, PSH of 5 kWh/m²/day, PR of 0.75 and a 550 Wp panel.
Energy = 15 × 8 = 120 kWh/day. Power = 120 ÷ (5 × 0.75) = 32 kWp. Panels = 32,000 ÷ 550 = 59 panels, in about 153 m².
Full-sun hours (HSP): the site's average daily irradiation, in kWh per square meter. It is what changes the sizing the most. Check the solar atlas for your region.
Not without a battery. That is why pumping must happen during daylight, or the system needs storage.
System performance: the fraction of the panels' rated energy that reaches the pump, after losses in cables, inverter, and temperature. A typical value is between 0.7 and 0.8.
No. It estimates the order of magnitude. The design must be done by a qualified professional, with the pump curve and site data.
Important notice: the Agrocalcs tools make estimates and preliminary sizing based on the data entered and on published engineering methods. They do not replace a design, a calculation report or a report signed by a qualified professional (CREA/ART), nor verification against the applicable technical standards and legislation, such as the Regulatory Standards of the Ministry of Labor. Material and fuel properties vary: check with the manufacturer or with analyses of your process before deciding. By using the site, you agree to the Terms of Use.
© 2026 Agrocalcs. Found an error? Write to contato@agrocalcs.com.br.