Solar Panels Over LA’s Aqueduct: A Model for Sustainable Water & Power
How covering LA’s aqueduct with solar panels could save water, cut emissions, and boost renewable energy in California.
Solar Panels Over the Los Angeles Aqueduct: Pioneering Dual Solutions for Water and Energy
The prolonged California drought and evolving climate challenges have driven Los Angeles to explore innovative infrastructures that conserve water and accelerate renewable energy adoption. Now, a groundbreaking plan proposes covering sections of the Los Angeles Aqueduct with solar panels to reduce evaporation and generate significant solar power—offering a multifaceted solution with far-reaching environmental, practical, and economic impacts.
The Los Angeles Aqueduct: A Lifeline at Risk
Stretching over 200 miles, the iconic Los Angeles Aqueduct supplies a substantial portion of the city’s water, channeling it from the Owens Valley across deserts and mountains. However, as climate change intensifies, the exposed open canal faces two major issues:
- Evaporation loss: Each year, tens of thousands of gallons of water are lost before reaching consumers due to exposure to relentless California sun.
- Urban water security: The city grapples with how to secure water reliability amid prolonged droughts and unpredictable weather patterns.
On top of water concerns, California’s ambitious decarbonization goals mean that local leaders must also find new, efficient ways to generate clean electricity for the state’s largest metropolis.
The Solar Canal Solution: A Win-Win for Water and Power
The proposal to install solar panels over the aqueduct’s open channels emerged from pivotal research at UC Merced, which inspired demonstration projects statewide. By shading the water, solar panels offer two crucial advantages:
- Reducing evaporation: Less sunlight directly reaches the water’s surface, helping to retain more water for municipal use and agriculture.
- Generating renewable energy: The panels convert sunlight into electricity, contributing directly to LA’s 100% clean power target by 2045.
Furthermore, research indicates that solar panels installed above water are about 5% more efficient compared to those placed over land, thanks to the cooling effect of the underlying canal. This dual efficiency makes canal-top solar arrays an innovative use of existing infrastructure with minimal additional land use impact.
Key Benefits of Aqueduct Solar Panels
- Water Savings: Based on the 2021 study, if all of California’s 4,000 miles of open canals were shaded, the state could potentially save up to 65 billion gallons of water annually, enough for the residential needs of 2 million people.
- Clean Power Generation: An estimated 13 gigawatts of solar capacity could be added statewide if the entire canal system was covered. For the LA Aqueduct, early estimates suggest up to 100 megawatts—enough to power tens of thousands of homes.
- Enhanced Panel Performance: The cooling effect over water ensures that solar modules retain their electricity generation efficiency, especially during hot California summers.
- Land Conservation: By utilizing rights-of-way already owned and managed by utilities and government agencies, there’s no need to convert valuable farmland or habitat for solar farms.
Project Nexus: A Model Pilot Project
In Central California, Project Nexus—a $20 million public-private initiative—has become the state’s first operational solar-canals experiment. Partners including the Turlock Irrigation District (TID), UC Merced, and Solar AquaGrid collaborated to install arrays over nearly 1,400 feet of canal, testing both southern and western orientations for optimal efficiency.
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This pilot project is more than a proof of concept; it is gathering critical data on:
- Evaporation reduction and total water savings
- Energy yield improvements from water-cooled arrays
- Potential for weed and algae suppression due to reduced sunlight
- Maintenance impacts compared to conventional operations
Early data from Project Nexus is informing future scale-up possibilities, including the much larger and urban-centric Los Angeles Aqueduct system.
Technical, Economic, and Infrastructure Challenges
Despite its promise, the deployment of solar panels over existing canal infrastructure presents significant hurdles:
- Upfront Cost: Solar canals currently cost up to 5–6 times more than ground-mounted arrays, due to the need for extensive engineering, stronger supports to span wide canals, and customized installation equipment.
- Grid Connectivity: Energy generated must be transmitted efficiently to nearby urban demand centers. Long transmission lines from rural canals may result in power losses, but LA’s access to existing grid infrastructure along the aqueduct offers a notable advantage.
- Construction Complexity: Building above flowing water, with minimal interruption to operations and maintenance, adds unique engineering and logistical requirements.
- Ongoing Operational Integration: Canals require routine inspection and upkeep, and solar installations must be designed to allow safe, regular access for water agency crews.
Targeted Solutions for LA’s Unique Context
- Strategic Sites: Priority is on covering canal segments that run through areas close to existing transmission corridors, such as the Pacific DC Intertie and the Owens Gorge corridor, to maximize efficiency.
- Funding: Federal infrastructure funding is helping to bridge the prohibitive costs for these early projects, reducing the burden on local ratepayers.
- Incremental Deployment: LA will likely start with high-impact pilot stretches, expanding coverage as benefits and best practices become quantifiable.
Environmental and Social Co-Benefits
While the focus is on water and energy, aqueduct-top solar arrays deliver additional environmental and societal advantages:
- Lower Urban Water Costs: By minimizing wasted supply, water agencies can stabilize rates for residents.
- Reduced Greenhouse Gases: Scaling canal-top solar will help push the city and state closer to net-zero emissions targets by supplying carbon-free energy.
- Improved Water Quality: Shading the canal waters suppresses aquatic weeds and algal blooms, lowering herbicide use and reducing maintenance costs.
- Resilience and Energy Security: Locally distributed energy reduces reliance on distant, large-scale plants and long-distance transmission, enhancing system reliability.
- Land Use Efficiency: No need to convert rare habitat or productive farmland to solar farms, thus reducing land use conflicts.
Policy Momentum and the Path Ahead
City leaders and water authorities see solar canals as a concrete step towards a sustainable, climate-resilient future. Los Angeles has enshrined ambitious climate targets, and solarizing the aqueduct dovetails perfectly with moves toward renewable urban infrastructure. Federal and state studies, including the comprehensive “LA 100” study, highlight vibrant opportunities for co-located solar and transmission infrastructures.
The political climate is favorable—federal funding under major infrastructure programs is available, state regulators and utilities are supportive, and pilot projects like Project Nexus offer technical prototypes for broader deployment. However, a detailed timeline is still forthcoming as technical, permitting, and funding hurdles must be worked through before full-scale installation begins along the LA Aqueduct.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What makes canal-top solar more efficient?
A: The panel arrays are cooled by the water beneath, making them up to 5% more efficient than ground-mounted counterparts during hot weather.
Q: How much water could the Los Angeles Aqueduct solar project save?
A: Covering major portions of the aqueduct could potentially save enough water for thousands of homes annually, and if scaled to all California canals, up to 65 billion gallons statewide.
Q: Will the solar panels disrupt canal operations?
A: Projects are being designed to ensure continued access for inspections and repairs, as well as minimal interference with water delivery and maintenance.
Q: Can these installations help California meet its renewable energy targets?
A: Yes—the addition of up to 100 megawatts on the LA Aqueduct alone would be a substantial local contribution to the state’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045.
Q: Why not just build solar farms on land?
A: Utilizing the aqueduct for solar installations eliminates the need to convert farmland or undisturbed habitats, thus avoiding new land-use conflicts and putting existing infrastructure to work for energy generation.
Table: Key Metrics for LA Aqueduct Solar Panel Project
| Benefit | Estimate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum New Clean Power | Up to 100 MW | Potential to power tens of thousands of homes |
| Water Saved (Statewide Potential) | Up to 65 billion gallons/year | If all open canals statewide covered |
| Increased Solar Panel Efficiency | ~5% higher | Relative to land-based solar |
| Land Use Impact | Negligible | Leverages existing canal rights-of-way |
| First Urban U.S. Project | Los Angeles Aqueduct | Pilot precedents in Central California (Project Nexus) |
Looking Forward: A Blueprint for Resilient Water and Energy
With climate-driven droughts intensifying and energy transition deadlines looming, the deployment of solar panels over the Los Angeles Aqueduct exemplifies how creative infrastructure solutions can tackle multiple challenges at once. By addressing water loss, boosting clean energy, conserving land, and stabilizing utility costs, Los Angeles’ solar canal venture could set a replicable benchmark for arid cities worldwide. The roadmap, while complex, is growing clearer—and its success might rely as much on policy, public support, and collaborative innovation as on groundbreaking engineering.
References
- https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2022-12-13/energy-policy/solar-panels-planned-on-aqueduct-to-save-power-and-energy/a81952-2
- https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-1186_misc_10-07-22.pdf
- https://www.sfgate.com/california/article/california-energy-experiment-solar-topped-canals-21045020.php
- https://abc30.com/post/californias-first-solar-canal-project-now-generating-electricity/16120467/
- https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/04/04/more-power-more-water-solar-over-canal-projects-are-coming-to-california/
- https://dornsife.usc.edu/magazine/what-if-aqueducts-could-power-and-preserve-california/
- https://www.kcrw.com/shows/greater-la/stories/solar-canals
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hcsFVZbV5w
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