The primary purpose of this pilot project is to identify viable solutions to enable our nations canals i.e., federal, state irrigation water districts to perform a dual purpose traditional…

This $15,000,000 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the Bureau of Reclamation under the SECURE Water Act - Research Agreements (CFDA 15.560) program supports a 5-year pilot project to assess the viability of installing solar panels over canals. The primary objectives are to reduce water evaporation, generate renewable energy, and build resilience to climate change by reducing carbon emissions associated with electricity generation. Key benefits may include increased water conservation during droughts, grid stabilization during extreme weather events, and the potential to help California meet its renewable energy goals. The awardee, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, is a non-profit organization that will conduct research, testing, and analysis to evaluate the technical, operational, and financial feasibility of this "solar canal" approach. The final report aims to inform future decisions about investments in this innovative water and renewable energy infrastructure.

The primary purpose of this pilot project is to identify viable solutions to enable our nations canals i.e., federal, state irrigation water districts to perform a dual purpose traditional conveyance of water and generation of renewable energy build resiliency to climate change by reducing the carbon emissions associated with using fossil fuels to create electricity.additional potential benefits this project may have for the general public are as follows reduce water evaporation in canals which could be a significant benefit during drought periods generate clean energy which can be FED into the grid or stored in battery systems energy produced from solar panels could be stored locally and could help reduce demand on the grid as well as contribute to grid stabilization efforts during extreme weather events save land, as solar panels are installed over existing infrastructure boost efficiency of the panels due to the cooling nature of the water underneath cooler panels generate more electricity shade provided by the panels can help prevent toxic algal blooms spurred by exposure to sunlight the renewable electricity benefits generated from solar canals in california could help meet the states renewable energy goals. Solar canals could provide a solution to help offset the agencies pumping costs. Implementing solar canals and connecting them to local energy users could reduce energy losses and lower costs. The intention of this 5YEAR pilot project is to identify and evaluate all the potential benefits and hinderances and prepare a final report of findings that summarizes the study results to aid in the decisionmaking process for future investments in solar infrastructure.