Investigating the Installation of Solar Panels in Reducing the Evaporation of Water in Canals

The simultaneous use of the solar panel system on water tanks and canals is a novel and efficient process in today's hydrology due to its many benefits. The positive and effective effects of this method, especially in hot and dry areas around the world, have increased. Minab region in Hormozgan province has become the southern agricultural pole of Iran, due to the presence of the Esteghlal Dam basin, and with off-season crops in this region, it has met many of the country's needs in agricultural products. In the past few years, due to the decrease in rainfall and successive droughts, the supply of sustainable water for the gardens of this city has become one of the most important challenges. Based on this, to reduce the effect of solar radiation on the water passing through the irrigation canal of Minab city, the simulation of the installation of solar panels on this 8 km long canal has been done by PVSol 2021 software, and the simulation results conducted by the research team show, with a coverage factor of about 60% of the length of the canal by these panels, about 5 MW of electricity can be obtained from this renewable source. The significant point in this simulation is the 0.78 performance ratio of this power plant, which shows suitable output compared to similar cases. In addition, based on the calculations, the installation of panels with the effect of shading prevents the wastage and evaporation of more than 6000 cubic meters of water in the canal.