My Permie Friends,

We are Ukuvuna Urban farming in Johannesburg, South Africa.  We are looking to retrofit our permaculture demonstration site with renewable energy.  Currently, we use an electric pump to pump water from a bore hole and would like to switch to a solar pump.  Also, we would like to run part or all of our electricity needs from solar power.  Wind power is also an option but we have concerns that there is not enough wind generated.  Does anyone have any insights into what we should be looking for when it come to solar pumps or solar energy.  Are there any particular technologies/brands that we should look for or avoid? 

Thanks,
TyTy
Ukuvuna Urban Farming

Thee is a Chinese company who do package deals of whole pump and panel kits ready to use I shall try and find the catalogue again and let you have the details I am interested as looking to live on farm near Gweru in Zim

Yes the small units are manufactured byningbo Komaes Solar Technology Co Ltd web site komaes-solar .com they are about $350 FOB in you have any difficulty let me know as still in UK at this time and have been in touch with these people about other units

This reminds me of the gaviotas contraption where a water pumpt was connected to a teeter totter.  As the kids played on it, it pumped water.  Later they came up with something similar for a merry-go-round.

Well Paul, a merry go round or a teeter totter sounds fun and all, but it's certainly not what we had in mind! While we do have one 3 year old child at the house, it would be rather silly to have such a contraption for pumping water.  And don't get me wrong, I'm still a child at heart, and I especially like merry go rounds (especially ones without speed barriers!!).  It's just that sometimes it's Mama or Baba doing the pumping, and I would hate to see them get hurt! 

I'm specifically looking for appropriate technology to pump our bore hole water and to heat existing geysers in a sustainable manner!