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Arizona's solar-over-canal project will tackle its major drought issue
(interestingengineering.com)
this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
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It’s a really good idea
Arizona is a mixed bag, but I guess everywhere kind of is. They hire that crazy sheriff, that election craziness, and paint their lawns, but then do stuff like this.
The influx of folks moving in from more expensive big city locations plus the general shift of young people rejecting conservative views even as they age is turning the state away from its traditionally republican voting tendencies as seen in recent elections.
It's nice to see it changing for the better, it's hard to parse from the outside looking in though. A lot of the old school r's still live there, ig.
It do be like that (old ppl voting R). Plus for whatever reason they all want to be here before they die, so it's a big stubborn aged community.
Source: 🏡🏜
In my experience with my aged relatives, they all feel extra cold now and either crank the heat up or move south.
In the summer, "could you turn the A/C down a bit?" "why, you're hot?" as it's set to 85F...
Inflation adjusted... those canals cost $50 billion to construct and the project took decades. It would cost far more now, since getting access to the land rights would be a nightmare.
They're already not providing enough water, so if building more canals is your proposed solution then you needed to start construction 20 years ago.
Upgrading the canals can potentially double the amount of water they provide. It's far cheaper, and quicker, than building more canals.
Solar panels alone wouldn't get you to 2x efficiency but it'll help a lot, and unlike other upgrades it also provides ongoing revenue. It's an absolute no brainer to start with this and do other canal upgrades later, when every inch of the canals are already covered in panels.
Or...hear me out... People don't live in the damn desert and expect to have unlimited access to water.
Nobpdies expecting unlimited water access besides stupid farmers and stupid rich people. Phoenix for example has rather strict laws on population expansion because of this if memory serves me right. But the dumbfucks growing fucking alfalfa use our rather esoteric and outdated water laws, atleast here in California. Even rice would be better since the fields can serve triple as water foul refuge and fish spawning pools.
I said that was California that painted their lawns. I lived in Arizona for a couple years, and I don't even remember seeing lawns. But I lived in Tucson. Almost everyone had a xeriscaped yard.
Seattle does this but with plantings and rain gardens. Nice to see them using alternatives. I haven't been to Arizona in years, I just go by what I hear. You guys don't have that great of a reputation.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-xeriscaping-offers-a-water-efficient-environmentally-friendly-alternative-to-lawns
It's also a win win design. Shade from the panels reduces evaporation in the canals and the water helps cool the panels which improves their efficiency.
It would be cheaper and easier to maintain separate instaaleions of a lightweight cover for the aquaduct and solar panel installed on solid ground. You could use the same money to add square miles of panels.