A double job: California covers the water channel with solar panels, both generating electricity and saving water

A water and electricity company in central California will install a grid of solar panels over water channels, the first time this idea has been realized. The Turlock Irrigation District (TID) has received a $20 million grant to pursue a project that could serve a dual benefit: generating renewable energy and saving some water in the process.

TID’s Nexus project is based on an analysis published last year in the journal Nature Sustainability, which lays out the compelling numbers behind the idea of ​​placing solar panels on a water channel.

Much of California’s water flows through the state’s 6,437-kilometer open-air canals, which include aqueducts, which transport water supplies from the Sierra Nevada mountains and northern parts of the state to reservoirs. , hydroelectric power plants, and farms.

California’s water supply is under serious threat from overuse and climate change, so every drop counts. And these open-air canals have a serious weakness: they let a precious amount of water evaporate.

According to last year’s analysis, covering all the canals in the state with solar panels could save 63 billion gallons (~286 billion liters) of water annually — the amount of water needed to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland. industry or to supply the water needs of 2 million people.

The study’s authors calculate that the panels covering the canal could provide 13 gigawatts of solar electricity, about one-sixth of the state’s total energy needs. In turn, the cooling effect of the water can help keep those solar panels running more efficiently.

However, those are estimates when covering all of California’s waterways, TID’s Nexus project will only include two small canal segments in Stanislaus County. TID says the project will generate enough electricity for about 100,000 homes.

TID says it plans to begin construction this fall and complete it by 2024, with the project serving as a “proof-of-concept” to demonstrate the operation of the panels as well as the installation and installation costs. maintenance, in hopes of expanding the idea to other areas of California.

Reference: Gizmodo