‘Solar canals’: A luminous answer for California’s water and energy requirements?

USC is at the forefront of a coalition of research institutions aiming to test an innovative blueprint to cover California’s extensive network of canals with solar panels, a method intended to address two of the state’s critical issues: safeguarding essential water reserves and hastening the transition to renewable energy without disrupting precious land. This groundbreaking initiative — the California Solar Canal Initiative (CSCI) — seeks to optimize the state’s water and energy for the benefit of the public — and the environment.

Facilitated by the Public Exchange at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences alongside the independent advisory entity Solar AquaGrid, CSCI is examining how equipping solar panels over the state’s enormous canal system can simultaneously conserve water, decrease air pollution, and produce renewable energy — while maximizing the utilization of existing land and infrastructure.

The interdisciplinary group of CSCI researchers, curated by USC Dornsife Public Exchange, comprises scholars from seven research universities: USC; University of California, Merced; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Irvine; University of California College of the Law, San Francisco; San José State University; and University of Kansas.

The objective is to expedite the advancement of solar energy throughout the state by pinpointing optimal sites and potential benefits for communities. The team aspires to equip policymakers with the necessary data to promote this innovative climate remedy.

Tackling the West’s water challenges

California, historically characterized by its intricate relationship with water, encounters a progressively uncertain future. The state needs to balance the water requirements of nearly 40 million inhabitants and its expansive agricultural sector with its aspirational objectives for carbon neutrality by 2045 and its intention to preserve 30% of public territories by 2030. With the escalating needs for new housing and restricted available land, researchers hope that leveraging existing canal infrastructure can simultaneously tackle multiple issues.

CSCI investigators will evaluate the feasibility of “solar canals” to satisfy the requirements of an evolving energy marketplace, maintain economic competitiveness with alternative renewable energy solutions, and provide advantages to local communities.

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The scientists are working in close partnership with state agencies responsible for water, land, and energy: the California Department of Water Resources, the California Natural Resources Agency, and the California Energy Commission. An advisory group composed of governmental, academic, and private sector experts oversees the CSCI research.

“California is at the forefront of discovering innovative ways to address climate change and enhance our water and energy resilience,” California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot stated in a press announcement from CSCI. “We are thrilled to witness leading research institutions unite to facilitate the installation of solar panels above water canals — a significant concept with immense potential. Collaborations driven by scientific inquiry like this are essential for steering our future direction.”

“This initiative exemplifies a genuinely comprehensive approach, thoughtfully weighing economic, environmental, and community factors to achieve sustainable and fair outcomes,” remarked Detlof von Winterfeldt, a professor of systems engineering at the USC Price School of Public Policy and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

“It serves as a model for converting intricate challenges into tangible solutions,” commented Winterfeldt, who is formulating CSCI’s extensive decision framework. This framework will unify all research findings into a resource for decision-makers, project developers, and stakeholders, offering data and insights to pinpoint the most suitable canal sites for solar panel installations.

California Solar Canal Initiative: Expanding on the pilot project’s achievements

CSCI capitalizes on the success of Project Nexus, a pilot program from 2023 in California’s Central Valley that assesses the viability of solar canal technology. USC researchers will leverage that pilot initiative by examining how this technology could be expanded statewide while guaranteeing community involvement and fair distribution of advantages.

“One of the distinctive features of this project is its ability to integrate various disciplines to address interconnected challenges. It’s not solely focused on water or energy; it encompasses a multitude of issues that necessitate ongoing dialogue and collaboration among all teams,” expressed Santina Contreras, an assistant professor of urban planning and spatial analysis at USC Price, who heads the community resilience and benefits analysis division of CSCI.

Contreras’ team will engage closely with community stakeholders to assess the effects of the solar canal initiative, ensuring that the advantages – including potential water and energy savings – benefit the communities affected by the projects’ development, as well as those in greatest need.