1
Diesel turbine / generator
Water use: 240 gal/MWh.
Context: representative combustion turbine / diesel value.
-240
gal/MWh
Water + Agriculture + Energy
Water use that can shift from consumption to farm-level savings.
Solargation® results in a significant reduction in agricultural water
Representative operational consumption
Thermal generation uses far more water than solar PV, but Solargation® saves water on an agricultural scale!
Water-use metric shown: gallons per megawatt-hour (gal/MWh) of operational water consumption.
For Solargation®, the page separately highlights direct PV water use , avoided water use , and the resulting net water impact .
Technology comparison
The same energy output can produce dramatically different water impacts.
The cards below preserve the numbers and framing shown in the water-use infographic, while converting them into a clearer website experience for desktop and mobile viewing.
2
Natural gas turbine
Water use: -198 gal/MWh.
Context: tower-cooled combined-cycle median.
198
gal/MWh
3
Traditional solar PV
Water use: 26 gal/MWh.
Context: low operational use because PV does not require cooling water.
-26
gal/MWh
4
Agricultural water-conserving Solargation®
Direct PV use: 26 gal/MWh.
Avoided water use: 547–859 gal/MWh.
Net water impact: −521 to −833 gal/MWh, meaning a farm-level net water-saving effect in the illustrative case.
521 to 833
gal/MWh saved
Net water impact
What the comparison means
Dual-use design can change the water story of a solar site.
Key takeaway
- Thermal generation uses much more water than solar PV.
- Solar PV uses little water because it does not need cooling water.
- At 7 acres per MW, Solargation® can become net water-saving at the farm level when irrigation demand falls.
Important note
Operational water use only is shown here. Solargation®’s irrigation offset is an illustrative estimate, not a universal value. It depends on crop type, local irrigation demand, climate, and how much irrigation reduction tracks lower soil evaporation.
From water load to water advantage.
Solargation® keeps the low direct operating water profile of solar PV, then layers on agricultural water savings by reducing irrigation needs under the provided assumptions. The result can be a net negative water impact on a gallons-per-megawatt-hour basis.
547–859
gal/MWh of avoided irrigation in the illustrative case
0.96–1.51M
gallons per year of estimated water saved
Grounding and source notes
Water conservation through shading, data driven water deployment, and solargation®
Sources: Macknick et al., NREL (2011) for utility-scale PV median 26 gal/MWh and natural gas combined-cycle tower median 198 gal/MWh; Berkman et al., Brattle Group / WECC (2014) for representative combustion turbine / diesel value 240 gal/MWh; Omer et al., Solar Energy (2022) for cumulative soil-surface evaporation under agrivoltaic systems decreasing by 21%–33%; and conversion assumptions using 7 acres/MW, 2 acre-feet per acre per year, a 20% capacity factor, and 325,851 gallons per acre-foot.
Explore the water-use case
Solargation® for an clear energy and water benefit in a resource scarce world.
Solargation® creates a unique advantage to the water cycle by dramatically reducing agricultural water consumption while eliminating water consumption from energy resources.
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