New developments | First of a kind
Turlock Irrigation District is set to pilot the US’ first water-energy nexus project involving the innovative installation of solar panel canopies over some of its existing canal network.
A PUBLIC-PRIVATE-ACADEMIC partnership among Turlock Irrigation District (TID), the Department of Water Resources (DWR), Solar AquaGrid, and the University of California could contribute to a more water resilient future for California, positioning the US state to meet its ambitious clean energy goals. TID will pilot Project Nexus which involves building
solar panel canopies over a portion of the publicly owned irrigation district’s existing canals. It will serve as a proof of concept to pilot and further study the solar over canal design, deployment, and co-benefits on behalf of the state of California using TID infrastructure and electrical grid access. The project is set to break ground later this year with completion expected in 2024 at multiple locations throughout the TID service territory in California’s Central Valley. The US$20 million project is being funded by the state of California. DWR will oversee administration of the project and provide technical assistance, as well as serve as a research partner. “In our 135-year history, we’ve always pursued
Left, top: Conceptual rendering of solar panels spanning Turlock Irrigation District’s 33m wide main canal. Solar-power development over canals is an emerging response to the energy-water-food nexus that can result in multiple benefits for water and energy infrastructure
Left, bottom: Studies have revealed that mounting solar panels over open canals can result in significant water, energy, and cost savings when compared to ground-mounted solar systems. (Conceptual rendering of panels spanning a 7.6m wide TID canal)
The primary goals of Project Nexus include:
● Demonstrating proof of concept of narrow and wide-span canal coverage of solar panels.
● Increasing renewable power generation. ● Reducing water evaporation in canals. ● Experiencing water quality improvements. ● Reducing vegetative growth in canals. ● Investigating energy storage via use cases. ● Investigating integration between renewable power generation and energy storage.
Formed in 1887, TID was the first irrigation district in California and provides irrigation water to 4700 growers who farm about 607km2
in the San Joaquin Valley.
TID also provides power to homes, businesses, and farms. Its unique position as an irrigation district with over 200km of canals as well as an electric utility with the ability for direct interconnection, in addition to its proximity to University of California, were all considerations in its selection for the pilot project.
innovative projects that benefit TID water and power customers,” said TID Board President Michael Frantz. “There will always be reasons to say ‘no’ to projects like this, but as the first public irrigation district in California, we aren’t afraid to chart a new path with pilot projects that have potential to meet our water and energy sustainability goals.”
Inspiration The inspiration for Project Nexus comes from a
recent University of California study, published in March 2021 in the journal Nature Sustainability. The study illustrated that covering California’s 6437km of canals with solar panels could save 286Mm3
of water
annually, comparable to the amount needed to irrigate more than 200km2
of farmland or meet the residential
water needs of more than two million people. According to the study, the 13GW of solar power the panels would generate each year would equal about one sixth of the state’s current installed capacity. “We are excited to explore new efforts to advance
the integration of renewable energy into our water supply delivery system,” says Karla Nemeth, Director of DWR. “The project offers great potential, and we look forward to collaborating with our local and academic partners to advance these type of multi-benefit projects.” Turlock Irrigation District has retained Solar AquaGrid as project developers and programme managers for TID and Project Nexus. The two agencies have been collaborating since the project’s inception. Solar AquaGrid originated the project after commissioning the University of California Study in 2015 and has facilitated collaboration among the various parties to bring Project Nexus to fruition. The name Project Nexus is a nod to the water-
energy nexus paradigm gaining attention among public utilities across the US. They are increasingly recognising the symbiotic relationship between water management and energy management and are finding ways to design projects and actions that benefit the management of both resources beyond what has been done historically. Project Nexus goes beyond recognising the linkage that water is used for energy production and energy is used for water treatment and conveyance. With Project Nexus, existing water conveyance infrastructure will serve as the foundation for solar canopies to produce renewable energy.
Project benefits The water in the conveyance infrastructure has the
potential to cool the solar panels, increasing their efficiency. Solar cells become less efficient as they heat up and so the water’s cooling effect can increase their conversion ability. In addition, shading exposed waterways can not only reduce evaporation but curtail the growth of aquatic weeds, improving water quality
28 | June 2022 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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