California Completes Solar Canopy Over Irrigation Canal - CleanTechnica

California has completed Project Nexus, a 1.6-megawatt solar array installed over irrigation canals in the Central Valley town of Turlock. Funded by a $20 million state investment, this project is the second canal-based solar installation in the U.S., following a similar array on the Gila River Indian Community reservation near Phoenix, Arizona. The solar canopy covers a 130-foot-wide stretch of canal in two phases and aims to generate clean electricity while reducing water evaporation—a significant issue in drought-prone agricultural regions. The water beneath the panels helps cool them, improving efficiency, while the shade reduces evaporation and algae growth in the canals. Supporters highlight multiple benefits of solar canals: they avoid land disruption associated with traditional solar farms, can be connected more easily to local power lines, and face less community opposition. These arrays primarily power canal infrastructure like pumps and gates but can also supply energy to the wider grid. Environmental groups estimate that covering 8,000 miles of federally owned canals