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Some 8,000 miles of federally owned canals snake across the United States, channeling water to replenish crops, fuel hydropower plants and supply drinking water to rural communities. In the future, these narrow waterways could serve an additional role: as hubs of solar energy generation.
The idea of putting solar panels on top of the world's thousands of miles of irrigation canals has long seemed like a good one. In arid locations, besides the clean electricity, there is the added benefit of reducing evaporation.
Back in 2015, California's dry earth was crunching under a fourth year of drought. Then-Governor Jerry Brown ordered an unprecedented 25% reduction in home water use. Farmers, who use the
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In 2015 the founders of "Solar AquaGrid" proposed water-saving solar panels to shade irrigation canals, but they "couldn't get anyone to commit," remembers the Associated Press. But "fast forward eight years," and you'll find them "preparing to break ground on the first solar-covered canal project...