LOS BANOS — A canal on the Westside of the Northern San Joaquin Valley will soon have a floating solar project.

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority has been awarded a $15 million grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for its Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project.

Like solar farms on land, floating panels generate electricity from the sun's rays. But the bodies of water that these farms rest on also help to cool the panels, which research shows can make the solar panels up to 15% more efficient.

At the same time, the panels help reduce water evaporation and minimize algal growth.

The grant, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, will support the development, installation, and operation of a solar-over-canal pilot project and associated study to assess the viability of floating solar technologies on the Delta-Mendota Canal.

Besides assessing he potential of rolling out more projects, the effort will also look at what maintenance cists are required on the solar installation to give a clear picture of the cost efficiency of such panel’s.

The canal originates at the Clifton Court Forebay northwest of Tracy that also sends water into the California Aqueduct.

The Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project will span five years and involve multiple phases, including site selection, engineering, construction, operation and maintenance.

The project will assess the viability of floating solar arrays, optimal tethering, and power connection options, the potential for reduced evaporation and algal growth, and potential recommendations for operation and maintenance requirements.

 It will also provide valuable insights for future solar canal installations across the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's canal system.

The water authority will work with the University of California, Merced, to collect and analyze data on the performance of the floating solar modules in the canal system.

This data will inform the project's outcomes and contribute to a scale-up analysis that can assist in guiding future investments in solar over canals.

The University of California, Merced, is already gathering information and collaborating with structural solar associated with Project Nexus, a project advanced by the Turlock Irrigation District using $20 million in grant funding from the State of California.

 It involves two canal sites near Turlock involving fixed solar canopies over canal structures to see how effective they can be.

 The work also fits into the state’s newly updated five-year water plan, and the push to decarbonize its energy grid.