One of the main expenses in electricity for irrigated crops is pumping water. Furthermore, it is a consumption that is concentrated in the hottest months, which is also when there is more solar radiation. To take advantage of this coincidence, Aigües del Segarra Garrigues (ASG), the private company in charge of operating and maintaining the distribution network of this irrigation system, is promoting the installation of floating solar panels in the irrigation ponds of the canal. “The electricity generated would be used to pump water between the months of March and October, which is when irrigation is usually done, and the rest of the year, the energy would be injected into the electricity grid,” explains Miquel Galvarriato, ASG’s executive president.
The Segarra-Garrigues canal, the most important irrigation infrastructure in Catalonia and the most modern, consists of a total of 34 ponds. Galvarriato indicates that, in a first phase, it is planned to install floating panels in seven of these rafts, with an investment of 12 million euros. The installation of the panels will be done this year, with the intention that they will begin to function in the 2024 irrigation campaign. According to the ASG action plan, the coverage of all the canal ponds will have a total cost of 62 million euros.
At the same time, the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat is studying the realization of a pilot test to cover part of the Segarra-Garrigues canal with solar panels. “The pilot must be used to identify technical problems, look for possible solutions and analyze whether the measure can be replicated in other areas of the channel”, they indicate from the department.
Beyond generating green energy without the need to occupy valuable land, the location of solar panels in canals helps reduce the proliferation of algae and aquatic weeds, saving on maintenance costs, and is one more barrier to prevent live animals from falling. in water. On the other hand, the panels also reduce evaporation, contributing to saving water while cooling the panels, to the benefit of their efficiency.
Some companies and private owners are taking advantage of these initiatives in the Segarra-Garrigues canal with the first installations of floating solar panels in irrigation ponds. This is the case of Atens, a biotechnology company specialized in the application of microorganisms in agriculture. The Atens installation (in the image) is located in La Riera de Gaià (Tarragonès), it consists of 100 kW and has been executed by the company specialized in renewable energies Sud Renovables, which has already received a new order of these characteristics.