"Floating solar panels already have been successfully deployed for large-scale projects in Asia."
"Just southeast of Phoenix, over 150 miles of canals sit uncovered in one of the hottest and driest regions of the country. The Gila River Indian community’s solar panel project, which would cover some of those canals with solar panels, could be the start of a new wave of such solar projects, known as floatovoltaics.
A new study by an international team of researchers shows just how useful wide-scale floatovoltaics could be. They calculate that covering 30% of the surface of 115,000 reservoirs globally could generate 9,434 terawatt hours of power a year. That’s more than twice the energy the entire United States generates annually and enough to fully power over 6,200 cities in 124 countries.
As the climate crisis intensifies, a prolonged megadrought coupled with water overuse has depleted water resources in the American West, hurting the ability of hydropower generators to provide the electricity needed for growing air conditioning demand during extreme heat. The region must quickly find ways to generate more energy while also conserving water, especially in the Colorado River watershed where water supply is being lost through evaporation in two of the largest U.S. reservoirs feeding hydroelectric plants, Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
That’s where floatovoltaics come in. Floating solar panels already have been successfully deployed for large-scale projects in Asia. The solar panels are mounted on structures that sit atop lakes, reservoirs, canals, and remediation ponds, to name a few examples. They combine both shading infrastructure to prevent evaporation and panels to generate carbon-free power, both desirable features for drought-stricken areas that also need more carbon-free power."
Rachel Goldstein reports for Yale Climate Connections December 27, 2023.
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