Climate change has been ravaging the world for some time now. California being at the brunt of this natural phenomenon is something that has been concerning residents for decades now. A more than common occurrence in California is it constantly being in drought. This makes the water in the state one of the most precious resources so in an effort to conserve water California has been trying to meet the state’s conservation goals. There is roughly, “…4,000 miles of canals [that] transports water to some 35 million Californians and 5.7 million acres of farmland…” It’s crucial to try to save as much water as possible while meeting renewable energy goals and saving money across the state. In an effort to knock out two birds with one stone, a prototype project dubbed “solar canals” is being tested in the Central Valley of California.
The project is currently being tested in Turlock California with the University of California, Merced being involved as well. These low to the ground, solar canopies will sit over the water canals to save the water from evaporation in order to better serve the state. By covering,”… 4,000 miles of California’s canals with solar panels, [this] would save more than 65 billion gallons of water annually by reducing evaporation. That’s enough to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland or meet the residential water needs of more than 2 million people.” This is so important for not just renewable energy goals, but also for water and land conservation efforts for the state. Additionally, solar energy can benefit California communities in a variety of ways such as, “…generat[ing] electricity locally, lowering both transmission losses and costs for consumers. Combined with battery storage can help build micro-grids in rural areas and under served communities mitigating risk of power losses…” The solar canals are overall just a game changer for California residents and while the water is being conserved, so will the land. By adding the solar panels over the canals instead of “underdeveloped land”, they will, “..also protect wildlife, ecosystems, and culturally important land”. Solar panels are constantly revolutionizing our society. You can be a part of this revolution for solar that benefits many different communities too! Contact Phoenix Exteriors today to start your solar journey with savings!
