TURLOCK, Calif. (FOX26) — Governor Gavin Newsom announced the completion of California’s first solar-covered canal in the Central Valley, launching a first-of-its-kind pilot project aimed at saving water, generating renewable energy and reducing maintenance costs.
Known as Project Nexus, the $20 million initiative places solar panels directly over irrigation canals to test whether the approach can help California better manage water resources while expanding clean energy production.
State officials say the project is designed to evaluate whether covering canals with solar infrastructure can reduce water lost to evaporation before it reaches farms, homes and businesses — an increasingly important issue as the state faces hotter, drier conditions…