Depending on the solar components one would need, it might be feasible to run a solar system. My house and cabin are run off solar and I follow prices and products very closely to see what's new. Solar panels which ran $7-9 per watt just a few years ago can be had for less than $3 a watt today. You also may qualify for a 30% federal tax incentive for renewable energy.
http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US37FIf you get solar panels, never get thin film or pretty much anything from China. Won't last. Look for monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels.
I buy my stuff mainly from Northern Arizona Sun and Wind.
http://store.solar-electric.com/hiposopa.htmlThey have a very good solar forum that might be a good place to ask for help for an aeration system. Very helpful and knowledgeable board.
http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/Other places that I've found that have good prices on solar are:
(Removed sun elec link at their request) - Not very helpful and I've been sent wrong products before but they do have good prices but watch for 2nds.
http://www.thesolar.biz/ - Run by a very smart fella but he tried to sell me more than what I needed and is pretty pushy but his prices are excellent.
http://partsonsale.com/ - High volume company that sometimes has super deals but it seems like I always get an 18 year old kid fresh out of high school when I call. Sort of like a Best Buy of solar.
Seems all someone would need for an aeration system is a couple 120 watt Kyocera panels(about $400 per panel) and probably 4 deep cycle 6 volt(run together to form 24 volt) golf cart batteries and you would be good to go. Also get a charge controller to prevent batteries from over charging. Something like a Xantrex C35 or Morningstar ProStar 30 12/24V 30 amp solar charge controller(both sized bigger than needed in case of future expansion of solar).
Batteries I'd consider would be US2200. About $100 a pop. Abused these pretty badly when I first got my solar and they still lasted 5 years of constant use.
Another would be Trojan 105. Popular with the renewable energy crowd. About $120 per battery.
When I upgraded my solar this past year, I bought Crown batteries. They are suppose to have the thickest wall plates among batteries and are used for forklifts and store scrubbers because they have a reputation for lasting and taking abuse. Expensive and most likely overkill for this type of use.
Deep cycle batteries need checked for loss of water periodically and need to be vented if indoors but they are less prone to die from user error. I would recommend staying away from AGM batteries which are maintenance free but are more susceptible to dying off early because they don't handle over discharging very well.
If you do go solar, another thing you want to remember is the ratio of solar panel watts to battery amps should be 1 - 1.5 to 1. In other words, if you get a 200 amp/hr battery bank, you'll want 400 - 600 watts of panels.
If your pump is 24 volt, your battery bank will need to be wired to 24 volt and so will your panels(just look for 24 volt panels for simplicity).
Here's a good site to figure out your battery needs and wiring. If you get 6 volt batteries which seem the most popular for solar applications, this tool will save you a lot of headaches.
http://www.freesunpower.com/battery_designer.php
