Solar canals save water, create energy, and protect natural lands all at the same time.

Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular as a source of renewable energy, but they can take up a lot of space. That’s why a growing number of cities and countries are turning to an innovative solution: covering canals with solar panels.

One city that has implemented this strategy is Ahmedabad, India. In 2012, the city began covering a 750-meter stretch of the Sabarmati River with solar panels. The project was a success, and the city has since installed similar systems in other parts of the river. According to Kartikeya Sarabhai, the director of the Center for Environmental Education in Ahmedabad, the benefits of this approach are twofold.

“By covering the canal with solar panels, we can reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation,” Sarabhai said in an interview with Popular Science. “At the same time, we’re able to generate clean energy that can be used to power nearby homes and businesses.”

The concept of covering canals with solar panels has also gained traction in California, where a project to cover the Coachella Valley Canal with solar panels is currently underway. According to Khaled Bali, an irrigation and water management advisor at the University of California, Riverside, this approach could be particularly beneficial in the state’s Central Valley, where farmers rely heavily on irrigation to grow crops.

“Covering canals with solar panels could reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation by up to 60 percent,” Bali said in an interview with Popular Science. “This would not only save water, but also reduce the amount of energy needed to pump water through the canals.”

In addition to its environmental benefits, covering canals with solar panels can also have economic advantages. According to Bali, the energy generated by the solar panels could be sold back to the grid, providing a new source of income for canal operators.

As the world continues to search for sustainable solutions to energy and water management, covering canals with solar panels is emerging as a promising option. By reducing water loss and generating clean energy, this approach has the potential to address two of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

Via Impactlab