Floating Solar Panels: The Unexpected Savior Of Colorado River’s Dwindling Waters

Enter floatovoltaics. Yes, that’s floating solar panels to normal people. These things sit on top of reservoirs and block the sun from stealing our water. Pretty simple concept, really. They can cut evaporation by up to 90%. That’s not a typo.

Colorado has spotted 1,900 reservoirs that could work for these floating arrays. If they covered them all, they’d save 429,000 acre-feet of water annually. That’s more water than every city and town in Colorado uses combined. Let that sink in.

The technology isn’t exactly new anymore. Australia, Brazil, China, England, India, Japan, South Korea, and California are all doing it. Asia currently hosts 97% of installations globally, showing the rest of the world has some catching up to do. This aligns with the green revolution that’s transforming our approach to energy and resource management. Even the Gila River Indian Community is getting in on the action. Near Phoenix, they’re building a solar canopy over the Casa Blanca Canal. It’ll be the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, which is both exciting and embarrassing that it took this long.

The Biden-Harris Administration threw $19 million at the problem in April 2024. Colorado published a feasibility study in December. Everyone agrees it’s a good idea. The panels make clean energy while saving water. Win-win, right?

Of course, nothing’s that easy. Environmental concerns, recreational impacts, legal headaches – the usual suspects are slowing things down. The Colorado Water Conservation Board admits “there’s work to do.” That’s government speak for “this is complicated.” Water rights pose a particular challenge since the saved water from evaporation prevention might not legally belong to whoever installs the panels.

Still, covering parts of Lakes Mead and Powell with solar panels could shield massive water expanses from the desert sun. Given how much those lakes have shrunk, maybe it’s time to stop overthinking and start floating.