Verendrye recommends a tank that holds three days of storage. A float can be placed on the system to stop the pumping when the tank is full. Orts said the solar systems are useful in remote areas where power lines don't run. The installation costs are less than building a mile of power line, and maintenance is less with solar power than with an overhead line, he said. Since ranchers share in the cost of building an electrical line, their upfront costs are reduced with the solar system, and they don't have an electricity bill each month, Orts said.
Leases run a minimum of five years.
Verendrye employees check the systems each year for needed maintenance, and Orts said there are few problems. The main worry has been potential damage during deer hunting season, so if land is hunted Verendrye recommends the panels be removed during that part of the year. The system can be used from spring through fall, but winter operation is not possible because of the water freezing, Orts said. Jan Severance of Ryder, one of the first area ranchers to put in a solar water pump, now has three of them. It's helped our weaning weights a little bit.