When the team in California realized that covering their canals with solar panels could kill two birds with one stone (generate energy AND prevent the water from evaporating under the hot sun) it was a no-brainer.
Now they just have to build it.
Similar projects have been attempted in India but the costs were high to build and it was difficult to maintain. The project leaders in California believe they have solutions to make this one work.
The idea is simple: install solar panels over canals in sunny, water-scarce regions where they reduce evaporation and make electricity. A study by the University of California, Merced, gives a boost to the idea, estimating that 63 billion gallons of water could be saved by covering California’s 4,000 miles of canals. Researchers believe that much installed solar would also generate a significant amount of electricity.
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