Solar energy is only available during the day, and can sometimes be absent during heavy winter days, which would require storage for some applications. In principle, batteries are the most commonly used storage method for electricity, but it is a major burden due to its increased cost and high maintenance requirements. For this reason, a lot of solar pumping applications favor the use of water storage instead, here water is pumped whenever sufficient solar power is available and stored in an elevated tanks, form which water can be withdrawn whenever required.
Water storage is very practical when the system is properly sized. During sunny days, the system provides enough water more than the daily requirements, since pumping is free, this water can be stored in water tanks that should be sized to ensure sufficient storage volume depending on climatic conditions and water consumption patterns. This is also called the direct drive system design.
