California Installing Huge Solar Panels Over Canals to Combat Drought [

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https://futurism.com/the-byte/california-installing-huge-solar-panels-over-canals

By Victor Tangerman, The Futurist. 

Excerpt: Canal Shade California is spending $20 million on a pilot project that will involve 8,500 feet of solar panels being installed over sections of important water sources, including canals — a futuristic effort to fight a devastating drought hitting California this summer. The idea is simple. The massive panels, to be installed over the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) in central California by the end of next year, are intended to stop dwindling water reserves from evaporating too quickly and forming vegetative growth — while simultaneously providing renewable energy for the local grid. ...The TID is citing a 2021 study which found that shading 4,000 miles of public water delivery systems with solar panels could save approximately 63 billion gallons of water a year. That's enough to meet the demands of more than two million people, according to the organization. The solar panels themselves would generate enough energy to represent "one-sixth of the state's current installed capacity," according to TID's website.… 

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