Solar Waves system taps into $30 million Californian canal canopy trial
Australian renewables company Green Energy Systems has been invited to deploy its plug and play Solar Waves system for a United States trial to cover Californian canals with solar panels.
Sydney-headquartered Green Energy Systems has been selected to trial its “Solar Waves” system with Project Nexus, a Californian initiative, which aims to install solar canopies over its extensive network of irrigation canals.
If rolled out in full across the 6,437 kilometres of canal network, a required 21-million solar module canopy would have the potential to generate 12 GW of renewable energy and save 238 million litres of water annually from evaporation.
Run by Californian water and power distributor Turlock Irrigation District’s Innovation Center (TID) the $30 million (USD 18.8 million) trial is supported by California-based solar canal advocacy group Solar AquaGRID.
Green Energy Systems will initially provide 120 kW of Solar Waves technology for final approval.
Green Energy Systems founder and Chief Executive Officer Glen Carless told pv magazine Solar Waves is regarded by Solar AquaGRID as the only economically feasible deployment system.
“We’re delivering a pilot of our system for final approval. Chosen out of sixty applicants and we’ve been collaborating with TID and AquaGRID for about nine months,” Carless said.
The company describes the system as more like an appliance, rather than an installation.
“We’ve found ways to combine the panel frame and its support system into one assembly,” Carless said.
“Our patented new system makes the system stronger while cutting the material cost (Aluminium) in half. We have also deleted all expensive S/S nuts, bolts, screws, and clamps. All gone.”
Image: Green Energy Systems
“The system is designed to be deployed over water, on water, on land and in the air; agrivoltaics, no problem,” Carless said.
“Project Nexus is a $12 billion project, which will literally provide 4,500 miles of canal, which are perfect for our new deployment system, providing the renewable power over an existing body of cooling water in the from of water canals, and the benefits of that are a win, win, win, win.”
Solar Waves technology is a prewired, appliance-style assembly—factory-prewired, fast deployment, and in this case retractable for canal maintenance.
“It makes it an ideal fit for the unique structural and environmental challenges of solar over water canals worldwide.”
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