News Credit: msn.com
To combat California's devastating drought, the Golden State will be the first in the nation to install solar panels on canals.
The state-funded $20 million pilot project is called Project Nexus. It will consist of an estimated 8,500 feet of solar panels
Image Credit: CBS News
To be installed on three sections of the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) canal in central California.
According to TID, the project aims to link water and energy management. The project aims to reduce water evaporation and plant growth..
..in the canal while increasing renewable power generation.
TID says the project will also serve as a "proof of concept" to further explore "solar over canal designs." The agency cites his 2021 study from the University of California.
The study showed that covering nearly 4,000 miles of public water system infrastructure in the state all with solar panels would save..
..an estimated 63 billion gallons of water annually, resulting in significant savings in energy and energy costs. Cost reduction.
"According to the study, the 13 gigawatts of solar power the panels would generate each year would equal about one-sixth of the state's current installed capacity," TID wrote on its website.
California is taking several steps to address drought conditions and climate change affecting the state.
On Friday, it went ahead with a plan to ban the sale of new gasoline vehicles by 2035.