The cost of solar powered borehole installation
Water is a very important resource that is vital for human, animal and plant survival. Climate changes have significantly reduced the rainfall in many areas. Underground water can be used to provide water for drinking and irrigation. However, the cost of solar powered borehole installation can be very high.
A borehole can be a great asset to have in areas where water shortage is a problem. It can be a great investment to a farmer or those interested in gardening. In some other instances, borehole water can be used for fish farming, livestock breeding, building construction as well as bottled water.
Research pointed out that a borehole can last for more than 50 years with very little maintenances in the first 10 years. This is why a borehole can significantly increase the value of your property.
On this article, we are going to split the cost of solar powered borehole installation into 3 categories as follows:
- Site survey
- Drilling
- Pumping and plumbing
We are going to explain the stages and give you the costs based on the quotations we used to install our borehole in a place called Masvingo in Zimbabwe. The costs may vary depending on the location and its distance from the town or city.
Site Survey
The first step is to survey the area you want to install a borehole. Some areas are not easy to site water which may be as a result of rocky underground surfaces and the type of soils.
I remember when I was young, my dad tried to install a water well but after digging several meters underground, the project was stalled because of rocks.
This stage is very important because some sites do not have enough water or you may have to drill several meters underground to even have a chance of finding enough water. This can be costly if the survey is not done properly.
Cost of survey
| Quotes | Cheapest Quote | Most Expensive Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Survey Cost Excluding Transport | US$140 | US$600 |
| Survey Cost Including Transport | US$140 | US$800 |
Borehole drilling
Most people focus on this stage. However, I realized later that this stage is not the most expensive one. If the first stage of site survey is done properly, this stage should not be too demanding.
However, it is worth noting that there are no guarantees that after the drilling process you will have water. The drillers may not find water and you may have to add more money to drill further down.
In Zimbabwe, many borehole drillers have quotations for 40 meters as well as casing for probably 18 meters. If it happens that after digging 40 meters and there is no sufficient water, you will be charged more money to drill further down until there is enough water.
Note that, shallow boreholes may dry during drought seasons.
Cost of borehole drilling
| Quotes | Cheapest | Most Expensive |
|---|---|---|
| Drilling (40 m) and casing (18m) (including transport) | US$1 400 | US$ 2 000 |
| Extra charge per meter of drilling after 40 meters | US$35 | US$50 |
Pumping and plumping
This stage can be stressing especially if all your attention was on borehole drilling. It involves installing water pumps, solar panels, water tanks as well as pipes and taps.
After borehole drilling, you want the water to be accessed on the surface. This can be done by using a pump. Old borehole systems used hand pumps which may be labor intensive. In Africa, most countries have 12 hours of sunshine which makes it easy to generate power from the sun by using solar panels. This is why solar powered pumps are becoming favorites.
How does this work?
The solar panels will provide the power needed for a pump to extract water from the borehole into the water tank. By taking advantage of gravity, the water will flow from a raised tank into the pipes and the taps. This process can work without any need to install a battery. The sensors can be used to switch off the pump when the tank is full or if the water is no longer enough in the borehole.
Cost of pumping and plumping
| Quotes | Cheapest | Most Expensive |
|---|---|---|
| Pump, Solar panels, Solar panel stands, Pipes and all accessories (inclusive of labor) | US$1 250 | US$1 400 |
| 2500 liters Jojo Tank, Tank stand and all accessories (inclusive of labor) | US$700 | US$1 200 |
Notes
All the above costs are based on the quotations made by the writer. These costs may vary depending on:
- Geographical location
- Distance from the nearest town or city
- The demand and supply of borehole drilling services in the area
- The availability of water in the area
- The regulations of underground water in the area.
With everything being said, the costs stated above may be significantly low in other areas or extremely higher in other areas. After completing our solar powered borehole installation in Masvingo, a close friend of mine showed me a quotation from a borehole drilling company in Marondera town which was cheaper than all my quotations. Therefore, these costs are never the same but knowing where to start makes a lot of difference when you are planning.
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Summary
The cost of solar powered borehole installation can be very expensive, therefore it requires a lot of planning. These costs differ depending on your location, the availability of borehole drilling services in your area and also the availability of water. If done properly, a borehole can be a great investment that opens doors for many more great investments.
The author is an Investor and a Software Engineer who provides consulting services to several Financial Services companies. He has background in Actuarial Science (BSc) and Financial Engineering (BScHons; MSc).
Great content! Keep up the good work!