Reimagining the untapped potential of CA's exposed aqueducts; Guiding development of solar over canal pilot projects in the American West. #WaterEnergyNexus
California
Joined April 2021
- Tweets280
- Following924
- Followers285
- Likes8.6K
Partnerships power progress.🌞💧California's first solar canal pilot is generating energy, saving water, conserving land, and reducing algae growth. Grateful to @CA_DWR, @TurlockID & @UCMerced. Watch the full story here. #solarcanals
“Project Nexus demonstrates that canals can do more than move water. The goal is not just more solar over canals, but the right solar over the right canals as we drive down costs.” — @rbalesuc, @ucmerced.
@TurlockID, @CA_DWR, @CalNatResources
nytimes.com/2026/06/22/clima…
The potential to scale #SolarCanals in CA just got a big boost. Thank you to Waverley Street Foundation for seeing the opportunity to reimagine water & energy infrastructure w/ a dual-use approach that saves water, conserves land & generates clean energy. waverleystreet.org/stories/w…
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
Construction of #ProjectNexus is complete — a Central Valley pilot project testing solar-covered canals in real-world conditions.
Made possible through a partnership between @TurlockID, @CA_DWR, @ucmerced and @SolarAquaGrid — along with a $20 million investment from #CA (Thank you @GavinNewsom and #CALegislature!) — the project will measure clean energy generation, water savings from reduced evaporation, potential water quality improvements and whether covering canals can reduce maintenance costs.
A promising step toward strengthening both water and energy systems while delivering more reliable, cost-effective resources for local communities.
📹State legislative representatives touring Project Nexus during the 2025 CSDA Special Districts Tour.
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
From a UC Merced lab to real world impact.
Project Nexus, California’s first solar canal, is officially live.
Showing how innovation can save water, generate clean energy and protect land all at once.
Read more 🔗 ucm.edu/30nilv
@CA_DWR @TurlockID @SolarAquaGrid
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
Project Nexus is a first of its kind pilot exploring solar panels over irrigation canals to evaluate water savings, clean energy generation, and land conservation. Today we celebrated the completion of construction with our project partners, a major milestone made possible through strong collaboration across state, local, academic, and private sector teams. DWR is proud to support climate smart innovation that helps build a more resilient water and energy future for California.
#California #SolarPanels
ALT Today we celebrated the completion of construction with our project partners, a major milestone made possible through strong collaboration across state, local, academic, and private sector teams.
ALT Project Nexus is a first of its kind pilot exploring solar panels over irrigation canals to evaluate water savings, clean energy generation, and land conservation.
ALT Project Nexus is a first of its kind pilot exploring solar panels over irrigation canals to evaluate water savings, clean energy generation, and land conservation.
ALT Project Nexus is a first of its kind pilot exploring solar panels over irrigation canals to evaluate water savings, clean energy generation, and land conservation.
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
Water + Solar + Innovation = gov.ca.gov/2026/04/29/govern…
Grateful to live in CA where innovation is a mindset. Proud to join @CalNatResources, @CA_DWR, @ucmerced & @TurlockID to mark construction completion of the state’s first solar canal pilot—a climate solution that saves water, conserves land & generates clean energy. #ProjectNexus
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
While the Trump Administration tears down clean energy in favor of fossil fuels, California is activating a pilot project for the nation’s first solar-covered canal.
We're investing in new technologies to find more solutions for lowering costs, saving water, and preparing for a hotter, drier future.
Imagine: clean energy corridors running like a river through California and the American West. Kudos to @ClimateCentral and @weatherchannel for bringing to life the process unfolding: #ProjectNexus @CA_DWR @ucmerced @TurlockID #RenewableEnergy
youtu.be/He1lYPHUwSQ
Milestone reached! The #CAProjectNexus wide-span array is now commissioned—California’s first solar canal pilot is generating clean energy while showing how we can save water, conserve land, and power a sustainable future. #SolarCanals #CleanEnergy #SustainableFuture
ALT https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/california-first-canal-array-project-nexus
Reducing evaporation, conserving land, generating clean energy. Watch this video progress report on #CAProjectNexus, CA’s first solar canal pilot, as it starts to generate renewable electricity, data, & learning. #SolarCanals @TurlockID @ucmerced tinyurl.com/yry9syts
With #CAProjectNexus, CA’s 1st #SolarCanal pilot starting to generate clean energy & data, our public/private/academic collaboration is expanding to study community use cases for scaling. Grateful for all partners who joined Monday’s #CASolarCanalInitiative Summit!
Michelle Reimers, Michelle Reimers Consulting, former GM @TurlockID | Andrew Schwarz, CA Department of Water Resources | @CA_DWR | @CalNatResources | @CalEnergy
Samantha Arthur, California Natural Resources Agency | You Chen Chao, CA Department of Water Resources | David Erne, California Energy Commission | Kate Gordon, @moveCAFWD | Danny Kennedy, @NewEnergyNexus | Felicia Marcus, @Stanford | Walter McGuire, Environmental Policy Center
Grateful to have the leaders from the CA state agencies responsible for land, energy, water attend the 1st #CASolarCanalSummit and engage with researchers to study how best to advance solar canals in California. The goal? To save water, land & generate renewable energy at scale.
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
The California Solar Canal Initiative (CSCI), including USC, is exploring solar panels over canals to save water, generate clean energy, and boost sustainability.
With support from USC Public Exchange, researchers are developing tools to help scale this innovative solution.
Learn more about the project:
Press release: uscprice.page/4226G5U
USC Public Exchange: uscprice.page/4l7sJRs
@USCDornsife | @USCViterbi | @UCBerkeley | @UCIrvine | @ucmerced | @uclaw_sf | @SJSU | @UnivOfKansas | @SolarAquaGrid
Solar AquaGrid retweeted
Seven leading research universities are collaborating to advance solar arrays over California’s canals.
#CaliforniaSolarCanalInitiative
Full release: xitter.cf/USCDornsife/status/190…
@USC @USCPrice @SolarAquaGrid @UCIrvine @UCSF @ucmerced @UCBerkeley @UnivOfKansas @SJSU
What happens when 7 universities and 3 state agencies join forces to save water, land, and generate renewable energy at scale?
The #CaliforniaSolarCanalInitiative
👇👇👇👇
publicexchange.usc.edu/csci/
What happens when 7 universities & 3 state agencies join forces to save water, land, and generate renewable energy at scale?
The #CaliforniaSolarCanalInitiative. tinyurl.com/3nysetww @USCDornsife @ucmerced @UCBerkeley @UCIrvine @UCSF @SJSU @UnivOfKansas
