The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona is launching an innovative solar project aimed at addressing severe water shortages exacerbated by climate change. Their new floating solar panels, positioned over a canal, conserve water by reducing evaporation and optimize energy production. The tribe envisions powering their irrigation operations entirely with solar electricity, thereby becoming pioneers in sustainable water management. This initiative is particularly pressing given the ongoing drought affecting the Colorado River, a vital source for millions. The community's experimental approach could set a precedent for future water and energy sustainability in arid regions.
Covering water with solar panels is not a new idea. But for some it represents an elegant mitigation of water shortages in the West.
The community is studying the effects of these panels on the water in the canal, hopeful that they will protect a precious resource from the desert's unflinching sun.
With the new floating solar project, GRIC hopes to power its canal and irrigation operations entirely with solar electricity.
Annual consumption from the river regularly exceeds its supply, and a decadeslong drought, fueled in part by climate change, continues to leave water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead dangerously low.
Collection
[
|
...
]