Utilizing Wind and Solar Power for Alternative Water Supply for Cattle in Coastal Georgia

The purpose of this award is for the grantee to demonstrate the use of photovoltaic cells in combination with wind turbines to provide water to cattle on the coast of Georgia in areas where they have been fenced out of available water supplies. University of Georgia will work with farmers/ranchers who have been involved in other federal or state programs designed to exclude livestock from environmentally sensitive surface water supplies who are left with few options for supplying water to their livestock. Field days will be used to demonstrate that wind power in combination with solar power can be used as a viable alternative for providing water supplies to livestock in areas of coastal Georgia that have limited availability to power from typical electrical sources. The use of both wind and solar systems will provide a consistent and constant source of power for pumping water from shallow water supplies. The hybrid system will be used to access shallow groundwater or surface water sources for watering livestock displaced from environmentally sensitive areas instead of tapping deep water sources such as the Floridian Aquifer system. By reducing the water withdrawn from the Floridian Aquifer system, the salt water intrusion problem is reduced. The translocation of shallow groundwater and surface water will reduce the dependency on deep groundwater as well as protecting sensitive areas such as stream and pond banks. In addition, the use of the proposed hybrid systems will eliminate the cost of running electric service to isolated locations as well as reducing the risk of persons coming in contact with power lines in remote locations.