A new five-year pilot study to place solar panels on the water in the Delta-Mendota Canal is just the beginning of a formal working relationship between UC Merced and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.
The two entities signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, agreeing to work together using science-based and data-driven decision-making on efforts to mitigate climate impacts. The partnership also aims to develop a skilled workforce in the water industry, a crucial industry to improve the socioeconomic outcomes of the people of the San Joaquin Valley.
The pilot project includes deploying up to three different technologies to assess the viability, costs and benefits of floating solar arrays over large conveyance facilities such as the Delta-Mendota Canal. This research will also 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.
The Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Pilot Program is part of a $25 million investment through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, announced by the Department of the Interior, to install panels over irrigation canals in California, Oregon, New Mexico and Utah. These projects are part of an effort to decrease evaporation of critical water supplies and advance clean energy goals.
The Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar project is set to receive $15 million of this funding.
Outside of the solar panel project, the agreement will serve as a vehicle for several additional projects of interest to the Water Authority and its member agencies. These include opportunities for UC Merced’s undergraduate and graduate students to work on timely and essential water management projects for the region and to advance the Delta Science enterprise.
“This partnership reflects our collective belief that education, research and practice must come together to create real, lasting change,” UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “Through this partnership, we are taking a vital step toward securing a future where water is managed responsibly, sustainably and equitably for all.”
Priority areas of research and training beyond the energy-water nexus include improving the science and engineering of groundwater recharge, developing and deploying better technologies for measuring and monitoring water use, and exploring how water economics and policy decisions will shape the future of San Joaquin communities.
Water Authority representatives said they are partnering with UC Merced to build capacity in the aging water industry workforce, which faces potential staffing challenges. They are also investing in sound science to inform decision-making.
“The future of the San Joaquin Valley relies on decision-making based on sound scientific principles and adapting water-management policies based on new learning. We must proactively invest in the next generation of water leaders, and we are committed to providing opportunities for students being educated in the San Joaquin Valley to work on issues that impact the communities in which they live,” said Cannon Michal, chairman of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.
The nature of UC Merced’s applied research activities will be directed toward answering questions of general interest to all parties, especially in securing a climate-resilient water future, said Professor Joshua Viers, associate vice chancellor for research.
“Priority areas of research and training beyond the energy-water nexus include improving the science and engineering of groundwater recharge, developing and deploying better technologies for measuring and monitoring water use, and exploring how water economics and policy decisions will shape the future of San Joaquin communities,” Viers said.
The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority was established in 1992 and consists of 27 member agencies providing water service to approximately 1.2 million acres of irrigated agriculture, 2 million people, and 130,000 acres of wetlands in the western San Joaquin Valley, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. One of the primary purposes of establishing the Authority was to assume the operation and maintenance responsibilities of certain United States Bureau of Reclamation Central Valley Project facilities.
UC Merced opened to undergraduates in 2005 as the newest campus in the University of California system and is the youngest university to earn a Carnegie research classification. A top research university and the fastest-growing public university in the nation, UC Merced is on the cutting edge of sustainability in campus construction and design and supports high-achieving and dedicated students from the underserved Central Valley and throughout California.
