California's first solar-over-canal project now generating electricity

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Project Nexus: California's archetypal solar-covered canals.

The inaugural that's been years successful the making is present generating energy portion conserving the state's h2o supply.

The star panels beryllium implicit Turlock Irrigation District canals successful Central California.

"This determination is astir 1400 linear feet and we person 2 antithetic directions truthful the star panels are facing southbound successful 1 absorption and westbound successful the different truthful we're capable to fig retired what tract generates the astir power," manager of outer affairs for Turlock Irrigation District, Josh Weimer explained.

The task is funded by the authorities - and is simply a public-private-academic concern betwixt Turlock Irrigation District, Solar AquaGrid, UC Merced and the California Department of Water Resources.
Project Nexus stems from a 2021 probe task by UC Merced alumni and task scientist, Brandi McKuin.
Her survey recovered covering canals with star panels reduces evaporation portion generating powerfulness - and brings different benefits.

"The shadiness besides limits the airy disposable for photosynthesis, which means little aquatic weed maturation and tin amended h2o quality, trim canal maintenance. It besides saves land; we tin debar taking our premier farmland retired of production," McKuin explained.

While the aviator task started small, the imaginativeness has ever been overmuch larger.

The UC Merced survey estimated that covering each 4,000 miles of California's exposed canals with star panels similar these could proviso capable energy and conserve capable h2o to proviso 2 cardinal homes each year. but not each canals tin beryllium covered.

"That's 1 of the things we are trying to larn from this study," McKuin said. "We'd similar to validate the results of our survey but besides larn by a standard up investigation wherever it makes consciousness to enactment the star panels and wherever it doesn't marque sense."

The task uses a assortment of tools to survey conscionable however overmuch however overmuch h2o tin beryllium saved - and however overmuch energy tin beryllium generated.

"We estimation it's astir 1.3 gigawatt hours annually astatine this site," McKuin explained.

All that's generated stays wrong the district.

"This is genuinely a aviator task for america to fig retired is this thing that we should beryllium looking astatine different sites, different locations passim TID work area," Weimer said.

Those progressive successful the inaugural anticipation it's the archetypal of galore similar this to travel - with the imaginable to supply a brighter aboriginal done renewable energy.

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