California’s First Solar Panel-Covered Canal

The idea is simple: install solar panels over canals in sunny, water-scarce regions where they reduce evaporation and make electricity. And, of course, don't take up any precious land that could be used for agriculture. Somewhere like California!

Credit: Turlock Irrigation District

A 2021 study by the University of California estimated that a whopping 63 billion gallons of water could be saved by covering California's 4,000 miles (6,437 km) of canals with solar panels - because the panels would stop the much needed water from evaporating.

The study also projected that the solar panels could also generate 13 gigawatts of power. That's enough to power the entire city of Los Angeles from January until early October. Now, finally, a 1.6-megawatt solar power project has just been activated over a canal in California’s Central Valley, generating clean electricity in a remote area where cotton, tomatoes, and hundreds of other crops grow. The results will be closely monitored to see whether the University's estimates are replicated in real life.

Called Project Nexus, it’s the second canal-based solar project operating in the U.S. - the first started producing power in October 2024 for the Pima and Maricopa tribes near Phoenix, Arizona - and one of just a handful in the world.

A 20-foot-wide stretch of Project Nexus was finished in March, and a 110-foot-wide portion completed at the end of August. Researches will continue to monitor the project’s performance, while a separate initiative is working to fast-track more projects like it.

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