North Unit Irrigation District will use $2.55 million Interior Dept. grant to test floating solar panels on main canal

(Update: More information on project from senators, irrigation district)

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., provided more details Monday on a $2.5 million federal award to the North Unit Irrigation District in Central Oregon to build and monitor solar panels on the main canal of its Deschutes Project near Bend. 

The project will allow the novel technology of floating solar panels on a canal to be evaluated, designed, and built to study the water efficiency gains and amount of clean energy produced for future larger-scale implementation and as a pilot for the federal Bureau of Reclamation. 

“We have to be creative in our fight against the current climate crisis,” Wyden said. “I’m happy to see Oregon chosen to lead the way in addressing two of the biggest issues surrounding efficient renewable energy today: what should be built and where to build it.” 

“Funding renewable energy resources is a win all around, because it addresses climate chaos, saves Oregonians money, and creates good-paying jobs in our rural communities,” Merkley said.  “This federal investment for the North Unit Irrigation District's floating solar project, which blends water efficiency and renewable power sources, further proves Oregon is driving creative solutions to build the sustainable infrastructure needed for a clean energy future.” 

“This funding for Floating Photovoltaics is great news for NUID and will demonstrate this important technology for others across the west,"  said Mike Britton, Executive Manager of NUID. "Utilizing our existing canal system as a mechanism to minimize water losses while producing clean renewable energy is a win-win and complements existing and planned renewable energy projects that are part of our ongoing irrigation modernization projects within the District.  NUID very much appreciates Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley’s efforts in supporting this project and subsequent funding!”

NUID anticipates installation beginning by December 2025 and completion by March 2026, pending the establishment of an agreement with the Reclamation Bureau. 

Here's the initial announcement from the Interior Department of this and two other similar projects:

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — The Department of the Interior announced Thursday a $19 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to install solar panels over irrigation canals in Oregon's North Unit Irrigation District, as well as California and Utah, simultaneously decreasing evaporation of critical water supplies and advancing clean energy goals.  

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Michael Brain and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton made the announcement alongside state and local officials at the Delta-Mendota Canal floating solar project, set to receive $15 million from the funding.  

“Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we have historic new resources to invest in innovative solutions that advance our clean energy goals and make Western communities more resilient to drought and climate change,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Michael Brain. “In partnership with state, Tribal and local stakeholders, the Interior Department will continue to invest in essential water infrastructure projects that mitigate the worst impacts of climate change and invest in communities across the country.”  

“As with so much of our work, Reclamation could not achieve our mission without the valuable engagement of our partners,” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “We look forward to working collaboratively on this novel idea to conserve water and generate renewable energy with funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. These project swill help inform similar projects to better understand their impacts and make that information publicly available so that we can all understand the scale and corresponding benefits they provide.” 

Installing solar panels in irrigation canals has the potential to provide a variety of benefits, including: 

• Generating renewable energy;  
• Reducing evaporation losses of the canal;  
• Increasing efficiency of and production from solar panels because of the cooling effect of the water beneath the panels;  
• Creating land savings for open space and agricultural use;  
• Reducing facility maintenance by mitigating algae and/or aquatic plant growth; and  
• Reducing the energy footprint and carbon emissions required to operate and maintain the facility.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history and provides much-needed resources to enhance Western communities’ resilience to drought and climate change.  

The projects in California, Oregon and Utah are part of an initiative to study the water efficiency gains and amount of clean energy produced for future larger scale implementation. They are being funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes available $25 million for the design, study and implementation of projects to cover Reclamation-related water conveyance facilities with solar panels. 

The projects announced Thursday include: 

• $15 million for the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project in California: The San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Reclamation and the University of California-Merced will collaborate through a public-private-academic partnership to assess the impacts of floating photovoltaic solar arrays on the Delta-Mendota Canal. The pilot intends to deploy potentially up to three floating solar technologies to assess the viability, costs, and benefits of floating solar over canal technologies on large conveyance facilities like the Delta-Mendota Canal. The initiative will also validate floating photovoltaics design for moving water, identify and address issues related to maintaining a canal with panels on it, explore the power generation potential, and develop methods to quantify impacts on water quality.  
• $2.55 million for the North Unit Irrigation District, Main Canal Floating Photovoltaics Project in Oregon: The North Unit Irrigation District will construct floating photovoltaic solar panels on the Main Canal of the Deschutes Project. The project will evaluate the impact of floating solar panels on water efficiency gains and amount of clean energy produced.  
• $1.5 million for the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Solar Panels Over the Layton Canal Project in Utah: The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District will cover existing canals with canal-spanning solar panel structures in the upper portion of the Layton Canal. The project will serve as a five-year demonstration of data collection and monitoring to evaluate the technical capability, economic feasibility, and viability for full scale implementation for both Reclamation and the district. The project expects to increase water quality by reducing algal blooms along the canal, produce renewable energy to offset pump station use or sell back to the utility, and significantly reduce water loss to evaporation. 

Thursday’s announcement builds on the $5.65 million announced for the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona to construct and install solar panels over the Casa Blanca Canal. 

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is also investing $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination. Over the first two years of its implementation, Reclamation has allocated nearly $3 billion for 425 projects.

This funding is also advancing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.