Blymyer is engineering a landmark Turlock water conservation project

As the Western states continue to face water shortages, a growing number of municipalities are looking at an innovative approach to water conservation: installing solar-paneled canopies over canals and reservoirs to transform the sun’s rays into electricity before they hit the water as well as reduce evaporation.

One such effort, Project Nexus, is being undertaken in the Turlock Irrigation District on a small canal stretch southwest of Keyes, California in Stanislaus County. Blymyer is engineering the project, working in collaboration with Solar Aquagrid, a Berkley-based water conservation advocacy firm and the California Department of Water Resources. The project is well underway. Half of the 1,440 solar panels that have been earmarked for the installation are already in place, and power is scheduled to begin this year.

Positive projections

Upon completion, researchers at UC Merced and Santa Cruz will monitor the installation for power output and evaporation savings. UC Merced engineering professor Roger Bales, who has been studying this technology for a decade, published a major study in 2021 touting the cost-effectiveness of solar canals. He and his team measured the sunlight intensity at eight canal sites in California‘s Central Valley and estimated how much evaporation could be reduced with shading panels. They determined that the approach could save approximately 200,000 acre-feet of water each year—enough to generate 13GW of power and irrigate nearly 55,000 acres of farmland. Bales and his team believe California could meet approximately 15% of its electricity demand if solar panels were installed on all 4,000+ miles of the canals statewide.

Covering canals and reservoirs with solar panels yields other benefits as well. It slows aquatic photosynthesis and the growth of algae, which can hamper water quality. In addition, having cooler water flowing under the solar panels helps maintain their efficiency, which can wane in extreme heat.

Looking ahead

“We are thrilled to be involved in this important pilot project,” says Greg Mazur, Blymyer Director of Engineering. “Our engineers believe installing panels over canals holds great promise for California and will prove very beneficial in helping the state meet its long-term clean energy goals. We all know how vital water is to this state, and the studies show this approach can make a major contribution to our conservation efforts.”

“The Turlock project also highlights our extensive experience in engineering utility-scale PV installations, which was a key reason why our firm was selected for this high-profile initiative,”
continues Mazur. “It is particularly gratifying when we are selected for an initiative that has this much importance for the future of California.”

More information on our other PV projects can be found on our Blymyer website.