Now the USA is also betting on solar panels over irrigation canals, just like India – both for protection and for the generation of clean energy.
What exactly is happening in the USA? In several states in the USA, including California, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona, irrigation canals are now being covered with solar panels.
The US government has allocated about $25 million to promote such projects, as Xataka México reports. The foundation for this innovation comes from India – where the groundwork was laid more than 10 years ago.
In California, the first section has now been put into operation as part of the Project Nexus. Solar panels have been installed over canals in the Turlock Irrigation District to both generate electricity and reduce water evaporation (via TID).
According to Electrek, the pilot project is now officially online and providing initial results: The panels have been installed on canals that are between 6 and 30 meters wide. The project aims to help test the efficiency of such systems for a potential expansion to larger networks.
Unprotected canals evaporate
Why is the USA opting for this solution? Project Nexus is based on a study by Brandi McKuin (UC Merced, 2021). It showed that solar panels over canals can reduce evaporation, generate energy, improve water quality, lower maintenance costs, and preserve agricultural land. The vision: If all 4,000 miles (approximately 6,437 km) of open canals in California were covered, water and electricity for two million households could be generated each year – however, not every canal is suitable for this.
The main goal of the installation is thus to reduce water losses that occur from evaporation in open canals.
Additionally, clean solar energy is generated that can be used on-site, for example, for agricultural pumping stations and other facilities for land management (via ABC30).
Turlock Irrigation District
The pilot facility in Turlock is expected to generate 1.3 GWh of electricity annually. This would help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 (via ecoticias).
Are the USA pioneers in this? No, quite the opposite. The inspiration for this technique comes from India. As early as 2020, the state of Gujarat in western India started its first active projects where solar panels were installed over canals. The pilot project even dates back to 2012. (via Business Line).
Gujarat borders the Arabian Sea. The climate is predominantly hot and dry, with average summer highs exceeding 40 °C. As BBC Future explains, the novel approach not only helped save large amounts of water but also reduced the need for additional land area for solar projects.
Protecting irrigation canals with photovoltaic systems from evaporation and simultaneously generating clean energy is not the first innovative idea: In one country, 1,700 sheep were studied grazing between solar panels – with surprising results.
Whether the model will prove itself and become established will become apparent in the coming years. Preliminary studies suggest that shading can also have negative effects on existing ecosystems (via PubMed)
India has shown the way; now the USA is following suit: With solar panels over water canals, two major problems of global warming – water scarcity and energy demand – could be tackled simultaneously. However, there’s sometimes a divide regarding energy gains. Why Bill Gates does not see renewable energy or nuclear fusion as the future of power supply can be read here: Bill Gates already knows the energy source of the future, focusing on a special metal.
