A solar canal is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

fitted with

solar panels A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a phot ...

, increasing their efficiency, and reducing evaporation and land usage. The first operative system was installed in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 2014.

Benefits

By placing solar panels above water, evaporation is lessened. Studies from the

Canal Solar Power Project The Canal Solar Power Project is a solar canal project launched in Gujarat, India, to use the long network of Narmada canals across the state for setting up solar panels to generate electricity. It was the first ever such project in India. Th ...

, show that the resulting shade helps reduce weeds, as well as de-weeding costs. The

photovoltaic panels Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

benefit from evaporative cooling. The panels remain cooler, thus reflecting less light and thereby absorbing more energy. Because solar collectors are often built on arable land or natural ecosystems, solar canals could reduce land lost to energy production, as well as conflicts with farmers and other stakeholders. Furthermore, land acquisition costs and land-use permitting issues may be circumscribed, if canals are already in operation.

Irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

systems may benefit, given that pumps would be located within easy access of a power source.

History

A large project in Gujarat, India was completed in 2014. That project utilizes pre-existing irrigation canals, thereby saving land and water, while generating electricity. The project's success led to the initiation of many other solar canals in India. The state of Gujarat has plans to build 19,000 kilometers of solar canals. The first phase of a large project in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

called the “Beirut River Solar Snake” began in 2013 and was completed in 2015. The project aimed to create solar power in a city where land costs are prohibitively high. The state of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

is moving ahead with plans to build large scale solar canals. The initial project is set to be completed in 2023. Former

Secretary General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...

Ban Ki-Moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

visited Gujarat's solar canals and declared that they should be adopted globally.

Challenges

Solar canals are more costly to install than land-based solar collectors. They also incur higher maintenance costs. Canals that are quite narrow or quite wide can add to the costs of solar canals.Gupta, Uma. 2021. "Solar Arrays on Canals," PV Magazine.

References

{{Improve categories, date=August 2022 Solar power Irrigation canals