New solar panels installed on canals

With nearly 300 sunny days per year over a large part of its immense territory, India is an ideal candidate for developing energy production from solar installations. But in the most populous country in the world, exploitable areas are limited.

In the western state of Gujarat, a new solution has emerged: use the nearly 80,000 km of irrigation canals that crisscross agricultural areas. In 2012, a first test on 750 m was carried out. Since then, eight other Indian states have developed their own projects, the economic profitability of which, however, remains complicated.

On the other side of the Pacific, the state of California (United States), a major supplier of fruits and vegetables, followed suit. The Americans are also developing a more flexible, even retractable, model to facilitate the maintenance of these installations.

A University of California study published in 2021 shows that if the region’s 6,500 km of irrigation canals were covered in this way, the energy produced could be enough to supply electricity to the entire city of Los Angeles for nine months a year.

In France, the idea has gained ground. On the Provence Canal, the Société du canal de Provence is experimenting with photovoltaic shade structures above certain sections. Private players like Provence Hydro Énergie are developing solutions, such as EcoCANAL technology, designed to transform irrigation canals into hybrid infrastructures: producing energy and protecting water resources.