Protecting water, sustaining agriculture
Large volumes of water are lost through evaporation from irrigation ponds every year, and the problem is set to grow more severe in future as global temperatures rise. The team behind the H2OLock project are developing a new, modular-based solution to cover these ponds and reduce losses, as José Miguel Gimeno explains.
The vast majority of agricultural irrigation ponds are left entirely uncovered, leaving them vulnerable to significant losses through evaporation when temperatures rise. With water scarcity a major concern across Europe, which is likely to intensify as our climate changes, it’s increasingly important to protect existing resources and use them efficiently. “We can’t allow ourselves to be wasteful with water,” stresses José Miguel Gimeno, an engineer at Arana Water Management, a company which specialises in managing and saving water. As part of his work on the EU-backed H2 OLock project, Gimeno is developing a solution designed to reduce losses through evaporation, which he believes could play an important role in protecting the security of water supplies, which is a major issue in the context of climate change. “This solution is designed to address concerns around water scarcity, which are likely to grow more prominent in future with the increasing likelihood of droughts,” he says.
H2O Lock project
The solution itself is comprised of a low-weight set of sectorized floating
modules and blankets, and functions by preventing the sun’s rays from reaching the water surface, so reducing losses from evaporation. This idea dates all the way back to classical antiquity, when the Romans covered ponds, now Gimeno
and his colleagues have developed a sophisticated solution called evapo-control to cover challenging surfaces. “Our system has been developed for surfaces that have historically been very difficult to cover,” he explains. High winds are a particular problem in terms of covering ponds, an issue which the project team is working to address. “We are working to cover ponds of up to 10 hectares in size, and such a big surface is by nature more exposed to the wind and the elements,” continues Gimeno.
“The main advantage of evapo-control is that its geometry combats the wind more effectively than existing solutions.”
This system is designed for man-made ponds that are not renatured or connected to other sensitive aquatic ecosystems, with the aim of protecting and conserving the stored resource. A lot of effort and energy has been expended in preparing this water for animal consumption or to support the growth of plants and crops, heightening the importance of protecting it.
“The water stored in irrigation ponds has been extracted, treated, transported or regenerated from other processes, so there
are a lot of environmental and economic costs associated with it. The water is ready to be used at this point, it’s the last link in the chain,” stresses Gimeno. While some farmers may in the past have been relatively careless about water management, Gimeno says profligacy cannot be justified in the current circumstances. “In the near future all water storage sites must be covered in order to protect resources effectively,” he stresses. The project’s research holds great importance for the agricultural sector, which depends on a reliable supply of water to irrigate fields, which is under threat from current high levels of evaporation. The solution has been tested on a 3-hectare pond in Spain and on another one of more than one hectare in Portugal. “Our tests have shown that we are able to reduce losses through evaporation by more than 80 percent,” he outlines. This represents a substantial saving, which if translated more widely would alleviate water scarcity concerns, while Gimeno says covering water also has other positive effects. “By covering water you also protect it from other problems, such as algal growth. When you cover a water surface, you prevent light from reaching algae, so it can’t photosynthesise and ultimately it dies,” he explains. “It also prevents other problems, such as deposits of bird faeces, which lead to microbiological contamination.”
A pond has to be completely covered to prevent algal growth, as even a very small input of light is enough to support growth, which then affects water quality. Properly protecting water eliminates the need to use
chemical algaecides and improves its quality, facilitating its management. “All irrigation systems have a filter. If we can prevent algae growth, then that means less material will get stuck in filters, and they won’t need to be used as regularly,” outlines Gimeno. This means farmers will have to spend less time and money on maintenance, reducing costs, while the system can also generate renewable energy, bringing further financial
“The solution is designed to address concerns around water scarcity, which are likely to grow more prominent in future with the increasing likelihood of droughts.”
benefits. “The evapo-control solution also incorporates photovoltaic panels on floating blankets to generate energy,” says Gimeno.
“The solution has been shown to work very effectively in this respect, producing the same amount of energy as a conventional ground installation of solar panels.”
This provides a powerful incentive to farmers to adopt evapo-control, and the
project team are working to heighten awareness of the solution in agriculture, and help move the sector to a more sustainable footing. One of the partners involved in the project is the Community of Irrigators of Lorca, a large association of farmers in the southeast of Spain who manage water jointly. “We are doing demonstration sessions showing the technology to groups of their farmers who could decide to install it in their own ponds,” explains Gimeno. The assessment tests, which lasted almost two years and were conducted by the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, one of the partners in the H 2 OLock project, are coming to an end, with results showing a reduction in evaporation losses of more than 80%. The team is now focusing on communication and demonstrating its
H2OLock
LIFE project for water and energy efficiency
Project Objectives
The overall objective of the LIFE H2OLock project is to demonstrate a versatile system specifically designed for use in large agricultural water reservoirs. Achieve the design and configuration of a versatile system with the goal of ensuring a costeffective solution specifically designed for the agricultural sector that will reduce water evaporation and produce renewable energy in medium and large agricultural water reservoirs, contributing to more sustainable and efficient agriculture.
Project Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union’s LIFE 20212027 Programme under grant agreement nº 101074546
Project Partners
• Comunidad de Irrigators de Lorca
• The Association of Wine Growers of the Municipality of Palmela – AVIPE
• CTC TECHNOLOGY CENTER
• Arada Ingeniería
• ARANA WM
• Global Factor https://h2olock.es/en/who-we-are-at-h2olock/
Contact Details
Project Coordinator,
José Miguel Gimeno
ARADA´s Project Coordinator
C/Alamo, 23. 1ºD 30800 Lorca (Murcia)
T: +34 0 682 66 75 60
E: jm.gimeno@arana-wm.com
W: https://h2olock.es/en/
versatility. “The solution can be customized and adapted to local priorities and the environment,” says Gimeno.
Water scarcity
The H 2 OLock team are currently collaborating mainly with stakeholders in Spain, but water scarcity is of course a prominent concern across much of the world, so the project’s work holds wider relevance beyond national borders. The problem is especially urgent in southern Europe, in countries such as Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain, where the need for even more effective water management is evident. “These are countries with a high risk of drought. However, countries such as France, Belgium, Holland or Germany are also very vulnerable,” explains Gimeno. The project’s work could complement these management measures by protecting existing resources. In addition, there are plans to commercialize the solution. “Our idea is to bring this solution to the market now. At Arana Water Management we are
José Miguel Gimeno is the co-founder of ARANA Water Management, and has more than 30 years of experience developing industrial, irrigation, and waste management plant projects. He holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Master’s degree in Environmental Assessment and Environmental Planning.
already commercializing a current version, while we continue to develop a new improved version,” continues Gimeno. There remains significant scope for improvement, for example by modifying the geometry and the thickness of the material to further reduce losses. Results from the testing phase for the new version are expected over the next few months, and Gimeno is confident that it will also reduce losses by more than 80 percent, which represents a very significant volume of water. “The amount of water lost through evaporation depends on the location of the pond. In the area of Spain where we do the tests, we are talking about between 1.4-1.5 m³ lost due to evaporation for every square meter exposed to the sun,” he says. The water saved can then be used to irrigate fields and support crop growth, contributing to the wider goal of establishing a circular economy and using precious resources efficiently. “Evaporation control solutions are very important in addressing water scarcity concerns,” stresses Gimeno.