Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Titre : CATING IRRIGATION AND SOLAR POWER INFRASTRUCTURE TO BOLSTER FRESHWATER SUSTAINABILITY IN A SEMI-ARID AGRICULTURAL REGION

Identification : 1030437

Pays : Etats Unis

Durée : START : 01 JUN 2023 TERM : 31 MAY 2025

Résumé
This project aims to improve irrigation water conservation in dry-climate agricultural regions. To achieve this goal, the team will investigate the use of solar panels to suppress evaporation from irrigation storage and conveyance systems. The focus will be on the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of Texas, an underserved agricultural region that is home to >1.3 million people. Irrigation is critical to sustain agricultural productivity andaccounts for 80% of total freshwater withdrawals in the semi-arid RGV.Yet high irrigation needs, climate change and a burgeoning population growth are straining the region’s water resources.Through this Seed Grant, the project team will develop a preliminary analysis of opportunities, benefits and challenges associated with covering irrigation reservoirs, human-made ditches, and natural channels (i.e., ancient secondary river channels) with solar panels in the RGV. This includes mapping and consolidating data on irrigation storage and conveyance systems, developing scenarios with solar energy generation potential and limitations, and assessing irrigation water losses and quality to determine potential co-benefits from irrigation-solar co-location. The outcomes of this Seed Grant will position the team to pursue follow-on funding for a larger project that will further evaluate specific co-benefits, engages stakeholders, and encompasses logistical, social, and economic dimensions of co-locating irrigation infrastructure and solar power.

Objectifs
To support our long-term, follow-on goal of leveraging solar power to improve irrigation water sustainability while promoting decarbonization in the semi-arid Rio Grande Valley, we set four specific aims for this Seed Grant:Consolidate data on irrigation storage and conveyance systems.Assess current water losses from uncovered irrigation storage and conveyance systems.Evaluate the water quality of uncovered irrigation storage and conveyance systems.Determine opportunities and challenges for co-locating solar power and irrigation infrastructure.

Financement total : $299,296

Performing Institution : UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN

Investigator : Almeida, R.

Présentation : USDA (NIFA)