Project Nexus completed the installation of solar panel canopies over various sections of Turlock Irrigation District’s (TID) irrigation canals in California.
Construction was completed at the 20-foot-wide canal project location with the first solar panels fully mounted as of March 2025, according to a statement. Most recently, the panels on the 110-foot-wide canal were completed in August, and University of California, Merced has positioned research equipment at both sites to collect baseline data. The panels will provide over 1.6 MW of renewable power generation.
The first test deployment of solar panels over open canals in the nation is being developed as a public-private-academic collaboration with TID. Project Nexus serves as a proof of concept to pilot and further study solar-over-canal design, deployment and co-benefits on behalf of the State of California using TID infrastructure and electrical grid access…