Potential solar power in ditches

Photosynthetic power, that that falls freely from the sun, is captured by the oceans, trees, rocks, leaves, cities, sidewalks and streets. Yeah, the last three are as unnatural as covering perfectly good farmland with solar panels. Solar panels are more appropriate on slopes, like roofs and open rocky south-facing places.

Of course, there are farmland ditches that could be creatively covered with them and as you might have guessed, I’ve designed a few different concepts about how to get it done. Our south-sloping dike between La Conner and Pleasant Ridge? Instead of just an expensive place to mow for weed control, we could rent it for backup power production. Between this dike and some ditches, we could power most of town and use solar power to pump the waters from the ditches to the crops. As is, there are about a dozen diesel motors running between La Conner, Conway and Mount Vernon at any given time, to pump water and manure lagoons.

We could do a pilot project, get several solar panel producers to bid for the opportunity to be part of a competition for the potentially much larger possibility. Between the pump station and Hulbert Lane, we could all watch the power being silently produced. Yeah, if we shaded the ditches and the water flowing in them, then we could consider even more possibilities.

As you might further assume, I have been thinking and planning for this moment for a very long time, three decades give or take.

Please don’t think me half-baked, when you see me napping in the shade, my mind is working overtime, despite not being paid.

Sincerely,

Glen S. Johnson

Skagit Valley