Solar canal project provides low-cost energy, more water
By Vicky Boyd An array of solar panels constructed over a Turlock Irrigation District canal recently began generating electricity and could lead to additional installations statewide, should the pilot project prove successful. Supporters believe the
academic collaboration, it will generate data to guide future projects, said Robin Raj, Solar AquaGrid co-founder and chief creative officer. Project Nexus’ findings also could be valuable to the broader California Solar Canal Initiative led by independent ad- viser Solar AquaGrid and the University of Southern California Dornsife Public Exchange. A multidisciplinary research team from seven universities, including six from California, identifies community-use cases and opportunities to scale projects. As part of the initiative, Raj said the com- pany plans to develop a decision-making framework and mapping tool to identify locations in the state best suited for solar canal systems. How much of the state’s 4,000 miles of exposed canals could potentially host solar panel coverings is unknown. But if all qual- ify, a 2021 University of California, Merced, study estimated they could generate up to 13 gigawatts of electricity annually. That’s enough to power up to 2 million homes and more than half the new solar capaci- ty the state needs by 2030 to meet its car- bon-reduction goals. The study also looked at how shading might reduce water loss from radiative evaporation. If all 4,000 miles were cov-
solar-over-canal installa- tions not only make wiser use of land by piggyback- ing on existing infrastruc- ture but also may reduce
IRRIGATION
water evaporation, cool the panels to im- prove electrical generation, and reduce vegetative growth and canal maintenance. Michael Frantz, president of Frantz Wholesale Nursery in Hickman and TID board chairman, said the district continues to look at low-cost carbon-free sources of electricity, and this project has the poten- tial to provide just that. “One of the significant cost drivers of solar electricity is land,” he said. “TID is blessed to be in an area with reliable water, which leads to expensive farmland values, so we’re very interested in learning about the viability of using our existing canals.” Dubbed Project Nexus, the effort represents California’s first solar-canal project. Developed as a public-private-
Turlock Irrigation District has erected about 1,400 linear feet of solar panels over two irrigation canals to evaluate their power-generation potential as part of Project Nexus.
ered, it could save up to 63 billion gallons of water annually, or enough to irrigate 50,000 acres of cropland or supply up to 2 million homes. In addition, the study predicted shading from the solar panels could reduce costs to manage aquatic weeds, which are stimu- lated by sunlight and warm temperatures. The California Department of Water Resources provides up to $20 million from the state general fund for the TID pilot project. But Turlock isn’t the only water district looking at combining solar with irrigation canals.
Spurred by the UC Merced report, the San Luis Delta-Mendota Canal Authority was close to beginning a five-year pub- lic-private pilot project to build floating solar panels along the 117-mile-long Delta- Mendota Canal. About $15 million in U.S. Bureau of Reclamation funding is currently on hold. The pilot was part of a larger multi- state effort funded by former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. TID was chosen for Project Nexus because it is one of only four irrigation districts in the state that has irrigation
See SOLAR, Page 19
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