California’s Solar Canals Make Clean Power and Save Water at the Same Time
In California’s Central Valley, an ambitious project is transforming the way we think about renewable energy by installing solar panels across canals instead of on land. The $20 million pilot, called Project Nexus, has turned sections of the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) canal network into clean electricity generators.
Completed in August 2025, this 1.6-megawatt installation is the first of its kind in the state and only the second in the United States. The idea behind this project is simple but powerful. Instead of covering farmland or natural habitats with solar farms, why not use the open space above canals to produce electricity?
