Pool pump - Solar/Wind driven?

 I would really love to be able to run the pool pump (inground pool) with
solar energy. Since the sunniest part of the day is the time (from what I've
read) when the pool water should be cycled I'd love to have the sun drive
the pump. Is this something likely? I have searched the net for solar energy
applications but have not found any application just for this which in my
mind would be perfect for pool owners.

I suppose even wind power would help although it's not very windy here in
the summer.

I appreciate any help/suggestions/feedback.

TIA
MP

  Do you mean like this ?

http://www.solar-guppy.com/solar_pool.htm

If you want to discuss what I have done , post questions at

http://www.solar-guppy.com/forum/

 

Wow, that's a lot of panels.  I would think that getting one of the 12 volt
pool robots like an Aquabot would be less expensive and require fewer panels.

 The pump is 100% replacement (or should I say displacement) of the 1HP ac
pump , the pool cleaners you suggest  are for vacuuming the bottom , I have
one of those as well which runs gets it "power" from the flow on the pump
inlet side. You still need to filter the 12K gallons of water !

It's no small task to keep a pool properly filtered as well as pump a 25
foot head for the solar thermal panels

I could probably get by with 1/2 the panels if I did not have solar-thermal
for the pool , but then I would lose 4-5 months of enjoyment !

Panels cost 2,166 for 19 of the 75 watt BP laminatse , the panels are wired
in series (10 and 9) and then paralleled to the HV disconnect , then
directly to a 3/4 HP 180VDC permanent magnet motor. I intentionally have the
strings at different voltages , this makes a wider mppt band for the direct
connected DC motor. Right now it's running at about 200-210 volts and the
flow is comparable to the 1 HP it has replaced.

It can run the pool vacuum , pump the solar-thermal head and make the
water-fall look nice all at once , which requires the 19 panels

My goal was to replace the AC pump , which is plumbed in parallel and so far
it is exceeding all of my expectations




panels.

 

I've gone through a couple of Baracuddas, and I'm probably not going to buy
another.  I had an aquabot when we first moved in, and I found that the filter
bag within it actually did a better job than the main pool filter.  After a
while, I just let the aquabot do both jobs.  At 75 watts, it used a lot less
electricity and kept the pool at least as clean.  Eventually the power cord
failed and the plastic wheels wore down and fell off.  I didn't have the funds
to replace it with a new one, so I was talked into getting the Baracudda, which
didn't do half the job and often choked on leaves.

Your system is certainly a nice one.  Have you thought of salting the pool and
using the solar to create the chlorine/sodium hydroxide mix that the
electrolysers make?