Article originally published on www.popularmechanics.com in July 17th
2015.
Saving
water while producing electricity
For the thousands of miles of canals in India,
evaporation is a major concern. And for many citizens of India, inconsistent
power is just a fact of daily life. Enter a new project the state of Gujarat in
India: covering canals with solar panels.
Working in partnership with SunEdison India, the
Indian government plans cover the more than 19,000 kilometers (or about 11,800
miles) of canals in Gujarat with solar panels. For right now, the project is
limited to a small pilot project, with just 750 meters covered, producing 1
megawatt of energy. But if the project could indeed cover the entire canal,
India believes it could produce much, much more power—a tremendous boon to a
country still undergoing an energy crunch.
The solar panels do more than generate energy—they
also can help prevent water from evaporation. If the project is completed,
India estimates that 90 million liters of water could be saved from the sun's
rays.
Said U.N. Secretary GeneralBan Ki Moon, during an
inauguration ceremony for pilot project earlier this year: "I saw more
than glittering panels – I saw the future of India and the future of our world.
I saw India's bright creativity, ingenuity and cutting-edge technology."
Saving water while reaping the sun's power—sounds
pretty cutting-edge to us.
Correction:
An earlier version of this article stated that Gujarat was a district, not a
state. We have also removed a reference to 2.2 gigawatts of power being
produced by the final project due to uncertainty about the actual potential
power produced. If we can find a more accurate number, we will update. We
regret the errors.
Le solaire flottant: http://www.ciel-et-terre.net/hydrelio-floating-solar-system/
