The California Solar Canal Initiative project aims to use information gained in a University of California, Merced study and begin to identify communities willing to generate electricity with solar arrays over their canals.
The California Solar Canal Initiative (CSCI) aims to increase the number of solar installations on California’s canals.
The initiative is led by the University of Southern California (USC) Dornsife Public Exchange and independent advisory Solar AquaGrid, and includes faculty from seven universities, six of which are in California.
A 2021 study conducted by researchers from University of California, Merced, found that covering large sections of California’s 4,000 miles of canals with arrays of solar panels could help conserve water, reduce air pollution, save land and generate clean energy using existing land and infrastructure.
The Merced study showed that covering the public water delivery system infrastructure in California with solar panels can generate 13 GW of energy annually, equal to what was, at the time, about one sixth of the state’s current installed capacity and about half the projected new capacity needed to meet the state’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030. The study also found that solar on canals could reduce land use by up to 50,000 acres because solar arrays would be placed on existing infrastructure.
Project Nexus was the result of the 2021 study, which is a $20 million solar on canal project funded by the State of California and conducted by the Turlock Irrigation District, partnering with the Department of Water Resource, Solar AquaGrid and the University of California, Merced. The project is serving as a proof of concept and pilot, with construction underway of solar arrays over one 20-foot wide and one 110-foot wide canal. Expected to be operational this year, the project also includes energy storage to study how storage facilities can support the local electric grid when solar generation is suboptimal due to cloud cover.
The 2025 CSCI project aims to use the information gained in the 2021 study and move forward with deployment first by providing data on locations and willing communities to government agencies, utilities and community members.
CSCI researchers will collaborate with the state agencies responsible for water, land and energy: California Department of Water Resources, California Natural Resource Agency and California Energy Commission.
“California is leading the way in exploring innovative solutions to tackle climate change and strengthen our water and energy resilience,” said CNRA Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “We are excited to see top research institutions come together to help deploy solar panels over water canals — a big idea with great potential. Science-driven collaborations like this one are critical to guide our path forward.”
USC Dornsife Public Exchange has assembled a multidisciplinary research team from faculty at seven universities: University of Southern California, University of California (UC) Merced, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Law San Francisco, San Jose State University, and the University of Kansas.
Solar AquaGrid, is leading an advisory council of experts from government, academia, and the private sector to ensure that its outcomes are actionable.
Project Nexus video
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