Water Resources creates pilot program for solar panels over water canals.
On April 29, the California Dept. of Water Resources and state leaders gathered in Hickman and Keyes in Stanislaus County to celebrate the completion of Project Nexus – a new approach to water conservation and clean energy that places solar panels atop irrigation canals and helps build a more resilient water and energy future for the Central Valley.
The $20 million Project Nexus is the first of its kind in California and will help the state evaluate how sol ar infrastructure can reduce water loss from evaporation, generate renewable energy, and improve overall system efficiency.
The pilot project represents a unique public-private and academic partnership between the California Dept. of Water Resources, Turlock Irrigation District (TID), solar development firm SolarAquaGrid LLC, the Governor’s Office, and the University of California, Merced — all working together to pioneer innovation.
“DWR appreciates the opportunity to test an exciting idea in real-world conditions and learn more about how we might combine energy generation and reliable water deliveries without expanding our development footprint,” said John Yarbrough, DWR Deputy Director for the State Water Project. “We look forward to learning even more about how the solar-over-canals concept may support California’s clean energy goals and long-term drought resilience.”
Project Nexus started as a premise in a UC Merced lab. “For the past three years, our UC Merced research team — including our project manager Dr. Brandi McKuin and team members here today — has treated these canals as a living laboratory,” said Roger Bales, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering. “We didn’t just want to build a canopy to produce electricity; we wanted to quantify a ‘triple win’ for California: water, energy and land.”
Congratulations to all involved for their collaborative work toward an innovative energy future for California. Congratulations to all involved for their collaboration to work toward an innovative energy future for California!
