An Idea, for a Floating Solar Farms on LA Reservoirs, Would Produce Power for 3,190 Homes But Its Real Value Would Be To Protect Water From Evaporation.

LA councilman proposes floating solar panels on reservoirs

We've seen solar panels on rooftops and in large-scale solar farms. Now, Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander is proposing that the city build floating solar grids on local reservoirs for energy. "This is a technology that is already being used in other countries from China and Japan," said Englander, of District 12.

From article, (We've seen solar panels on rooftops and in large-scale solar farms. Now, Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander is proposing that the city build floating solar grids on local reservoirs for energy.

"This is a technology that is already being used in other countries from China and Japan," said Englander, of District 12. "The pilot that I'm proposing calls for an initial installation of 11.6 megawatts of solar power on our reservoirs, serving electrical needs for 3,190 homes per year."

He was joined by actors, students and clean energy activists at a news conference who feel L.A. is in a unique position because our weather and geography would support such a proposal.

"It's good for the environment, and it's good for your pocket book to do this, " said actor Ed Begley Jr., who has appeared in countless films and television shows.

The news conference was held at Lower Van Norman Reservoir in Sylmar, located just off Interstate 5. It is one of several proposed sites for the pilot project. At this location, the L.A. Department of Water and Power said the solar panels would float amid the millions of tiny black balls, known as "shade balls," that protect the reservoir's water quality.

"If we can protect water, protect water quality, protect evaporation and at the same time leverage the space for solar needs to help our plans for the future, we have a great opportunity," said LADWP Chief Operation Officer Marty Adams.

It also eliminates the cost of finding land for a large-scale solar panel farm. However, Englander couldn't tell ABC7 exactly how much this pilot program to put solar panels in a reservoir would cost the city.

"What we're looking at is creating some kind of public-private partnership with an opportunity for some vendors to get involved in a power purchase agreement where we're not actually spending any money, or very little out in front of it, and we're getting it all in return because we're generating our own power," said Englander.

He is delivering his proposal to the city council on Friday. If approved, he said the pilot program would take just a few months to complete.)

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Get Ready For More Falcon Heavy Launches.

SpaceX's Shotwell: Expect a 'couple more' Falcon Heavy launches this year

CLOSE COLORADO SPRINGS - The Space Coast can expect a "couple more" of the massively popular Falcon Heavy launches from Kennedy Space Center this year, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer said during a dinner event Thursday night. "We have a big year in front of us," Gwynne Shotwell said during a closing dinner at the 34th Space Symposium.

 From article, (The Space Coast can expect a "couple more" of the massively popular Falcon Heavy launches from Kennedy Space Center this year, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer said during a dinner event Thursday night.

"We have a big year in front of us," Gwynne Shotwell said during a closing dinner at the 34th Space Symposium. "We've got a couple more heavys to fly, which will be very exciting."

"For satellites this time – not cars," Shotwell said jokingly.

The first of those Falcon Heavy launches from pad 39A is expected this summer, when the 27-engine, three-core rocket will take an Air Force mission to orbit with NASA science spacecraft riding as secondary payloads. 

And the second mission will take Saudi Arabia's Arabsat-6A communications satellite, which was built in Colorado, to orbit sometime in late 2018.SpaceX has not commented on booster recovery details surrounding those missions and whether or not Cape Canaveral and / or drone ship landings will be involved. The company could also opt to expend at least one of the boosters, too.

On SpaceX's workhorse vehicle, Shotwell said the company has "a ton of Falcon 9s to fly" and a "bunch more reflights to do," referring to launching previously flown versions of the booster.

Early next month, SpaceX is also planning to debut the "Block V" version of its Falcon 9 rocket, which is designed for greater reusability. The mission will take Bangladesh’s first geostationary satellite, labeled Bangabandhu-1, to orbit from KSC’s pad 39A.)

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