California is investing $20 million in a pilot project that will put more than a mile of solar panels over parts of vital water sources, including canals — a futuristic effort to combat the state’s terrible drought with green technology this summer.
The concept is straightforward. The massive panels, which are scheduled to be installed over the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) in central California by the end of next year, are designed to keep dwindling water reserves from evaporating too quickly and forming vegetative growth — while also providing renewable energy to the local grid.
While the “Project Nexus” pilot will only serve as a “proof of concept,” it is a novel answer to an ongoing climate change-related disaster.
A 2021 research discovered that shading 4,000 miles of municipal water distribution infrastructure with solar panels may save around 63 billion gallons of water per year. This is enough to fulfill the needs of more than two million people.
According to TID’s website, the solar panels would provide enough electricity to represent “one-sixth of the state’s existing installed capacity.”
As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Act, signed by US President Joe Biden last year, officials revealed that California will receive $310 million from the federal government for 25 projects addressing the severe drought conditions.
This is a Globe PR Newswire Feed; researched and edited by Clean-Future Team