Family-owned since 2001 / Serving Central Texas ranch country
royallswindmill@yahoo.com
Proof In The Pasture

The solar well at The Luling Foundation.

When the Foundation wanted to show ranchers that the sun could pump water, we built them a demonstration well that still runs on nothing but daylight — the same kind of system we'll set on your place.

Ranchers around here are practical people — they'll believe a thing pumps water when they can walk up and watch it do it. That's exactly what The Luling Foundation set out to show, and it's why they came to us.

The challenge

The Luling Foundation runs a working demonstration farm, showing Central Texas producers what actually holds up in the field. They wanted to prove to ranchers that the sun could pump water — not on a spec sheet, but out in the open, day after day, with no meter running and no fuel tank to fill. The job was to build a real solar-powered water well anyone could come see for themselves.

The build

Royall's built the demonstration solar-powered water well on the Foundation's farm, working alongside a strong set of partners: Bluebonnet Electric, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Texas AgriLife Extension. Panels went up on a post, a pump went down the hole, and the whole thing was set to move clean water into the tank on daylight alone. Here's what it runs on:

Open-flow output23 gal/min
Solar array700 W peak4 × 175 W panels
Well depth200 ft
Pump set at80 ft
Static water level38 ft

The result

It still runs on nothing but daylight. Years on, the panels catch the morning sun, the pump comes to life, and clean water fills the tank — no electric meter, no fuel, no wire run across the pasture. It's done exactly what the Foundation wanted it to do: give every rancher who visits a working example they can walk up to, look over, and believe.

The takeaway

This is the same kind of system we'll build on your place — panels on a post, a pump down the hole, clean water in the tank with no meter running. If it holds up as a demonstration well the whole county comes to see, it'll hold up watering your stock.

Built with good company

A project like this comes together because the right people show up for it. We were proud to build it alongside Bluebonnet Electric, the Lower Colorado River Authority and Texas AgriLife Extension — folks who know Central Texas ground and wanted to see for themselves whether solar could carry the load out here. It could, and it has.

Source: The Luling Foundation demonstration solar-powered water well.

Common Questions

What folks ask about the solar well

Does a solar well really run on daylight alone?
It does. The Luling Foundation well has no electric meter and no fuel — the panels power the pump straight off the sun, moving water into the tank whenever there's daylight to catch. It's been doing it for years.
How much water can a system like this pump?
The Foundation well runs 23 gallons a minute at open flow off a 700-watt array, pumping from a 200-foot well with the pump set at 80 feet. Your numbers depend on your well and your water level — we size the panels and pump to match.
Can you build the same thing on my place?
Yes — that's the whole point of the demonstration. Panels on a post, a pump down your hole, clean water in the tank. Call us and we'll come look at your well and lay out what it would take.
Who did you build the Foundation well with?
Royall's built it alongside Bluebonnet Electric, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Texas AgriLife Extension, on the Foundation's demonstration farm.
Same Sun, Same System

Want one like it on your place?

Panels on a post, a pump down the hole, clean water with no meter running. Call and we'll come look at your well.

(512) 844-4960
Or send us a note · Family-owned in Luling since 2001