SOLAR RIVER
Conceptual render Tectonicus Constructs LLC. 2015
Solar River: A Water and Energy Solution
Tectonicus Constructs LLC. is developing structural solutions to support PV panel arrays over irrigation canals. Designed to be competitive with land-based systems, these Canal Spanning Solar Projects (CSSP) represent a unique opportunity for farmers and irrigation districts to upgrade their infrastructure, reduce energy costs, and generate clean power without disrupting precious agricultural land.
Our structures are designed to span across canals supporting PV arrays without using up your active croplands or roadways. This will allow you to turn your unused land or canal right-of-way into year-round income generation.
Our structures are designed to give you the highest power generation for the lowest cost and to be installed in a wide range of canal widths and orientations.
Additional benefits include:
Improved PV performance and reduced PV degradation due to water cooling (1.9% energy boost observed in our lab study)
Reduced canal evaporation and temperature (48% reduction in evaporation observed in our lab study, 10deg temp reduction)
Reduced Algae Growth (83% reduction observed in our lab study)
Ability to locate power generation near pumps and existing power infrastructure
Co-location avoiding Environmental Impacts Studies, Interconnection queues, line upgrades, and other typical delays
Land saving and impact avoidance compared to utility-scale solar
Improved Community support due to lessened rural impacts
Multiple project delivery and ownership methods, with a patented design most solar contractors can competitively bid on.
Design piloted by both US Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers (in process).
The video narrative and information contains only estimates, actual totals and facts will change as projects are designed and engineered.
Highlights
Solar River has been selected and announced as one of the Solar Prize 5 Software Track Ready! Contest semifinalists by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Tectonicus joined the Fresno State’s Water, Energy and Technology (WET) Valley Ventures Accelerator program (Cohort VI).
Tectonicus and George Cairo Engineering was awarded a pilot project commission to install the first CSSP project in the Americas.
Biosphere-2 Prototype project won DoE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant.
Tectonicus received the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) & National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) voucher.
Tectonicus was named as one of the CalTestBed voucher recipients in 2020.