Portable surface kit
A pump, a controller, two modules and a folding frame that one person can carry to the water and carry home again at the end of the day. Built for smallholder irrigation from a river, a canal or a shallow sump.
Portability is a procurement decision, not a hydraulic one. It costs some efficiency and some robustness, and it buys a system that can be shared between plots and locked away at night.
Where this kit fits
Suits
- •Water at or near the surface: rivers, canals, ponds, shallow sumps
- •Plots that change through the season, or a pump shared between farmers
- •Sites where leaving equipment out overnight is not realistic
- •Programmes distributing many identical units to individual growers
Not the right kit for
- •Drilled boreholes, or any water resting more than about 8 m down
- •Continuous unattended operation; somebody has to set it up and take it down
- •Large flows or high delivery heads, which need a fixed installation
An example specification
Below is how one real buyer specified this kit type: a World Bank funded irrigation programme. It is a useful picture of the shape and the level of detail a careful procurement uses, and we can build to it.
| Pump power | 0.5 HP and above |
| Head | 40 m and above |
| Flow at that head | 45 L/min, which is 2.7 m³/h |
| Controller | Integrated with the pump |
| Array | Two modules, 380 W each or more |
| Frame | Foldable and adjustable, shoulder strap, one-person carry |
| Fasteners | Stainless or hot-dip galvanised, anti-theft type |
| Pressure pipe | PVC to ISO 1452, PN16, 32 mm bore, 5.80 m lengths |
| Suction hose | Semi-rigid corrugated, 32 mm, 6 m per kit |
These are that tender's minimum requirements, not an industry standard and not a fixed product datasheet. Your own specification will differ, and we quote against yours. Note the shape of the duty requirement: a minimum head and a flow at that head, stated together. Why that matters.
What is in the kit
Every line comes with manufacturer, model and part number on the quotation, which is what makes two offers comparable and what we can be held to on delivery.
| Pump and integrated controller | One unit, so there is less to lose and less to wire on site. |
| PV modules | Two, with the interconnect cable made off. |
| Folding frame | Adjustable tilt, shoulder strap, packs flat. |
| Suction hose with strainer | Corrugated so it does not collapse under vacuum, with a foot strainer. |
| Pressure pipe and irrigation hose | Delivery pipe plus reinforced irrigation hose with barbed fittings. |
| Tools and spares | Basic assembly tools and a seal kit. |
| Documentation | Installation and operating manual; editable source files on request. |
Not included: civil work and concrete, the well or the intake structure, installation labour, freight beyond FOB China, duty and clearance. Those are arranged at your end, and we would rather say so here than at delivery.
The other kit types
Frequently asked questions
How far can a portable solar surface pump lift water?
On the suction side, about 8 m and no more, because atmospheric pressure is what pushes water up the suction hose. On the delivery side it depends on the pump curve. The specification described on this page asked for 40 m of total head with 45 L/min still flowing at that head.
Can one person really carry a portable solar pump kit?
The pump and frame, yes, which is the point of the folding frame and the shoulder strap. The modules are usually a second trip or a second person. Anyone quoting a one-person carry including two 380 W modules is stretching it.
Can a portable kit be used on a borehole?
Only if the water rests within about 8 m of the surface and stays there while pumping, which is uncommon on a drilled hole. For a borehole you want a submersible kit instead.
What is the minimum order for portable solar pump kits?
These are usually bought in programme quantities rather than ones and twos, because the freight per kit falls sharply with volume. We will quote a small order and tell you plainly how the landed cost compares, rather than take it and let you find out.
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Free CAD layout, wind/snow load calculations, and BOM review included with project orders.
Ask for kit pricing
Tell us the quantity, the water source and roughly where it is going. Kit economics move a lot with volume, so a realistic quantity gets a much more useful number back.