California’s First Solar-Covered Canal is Here!

A Smart Solution for Clean Energy and Water Conservation

California has just unveiled its very first solar-covered canal and it’s a game changer!

By placing solar panels over waterways, California is not only generating clean, renewable energy, but also keeping the panels cooler, which boosts efficiency. Even better, this innovative design helps prevent water from evaporating, saving millions of gallons of water each year a major win in drought-prone areas.

A solar panel array covers a canal in Hickman, California, as part of Project Nexus; an initiative started in 2025 to explore the feasibility of solar-integrated waterways.

Compared to traditional solar farms, this approach saves space, doubles as water protection, and shows the world that we can think smarter about sustainability. There are only a few of these projects worldwide, but we hope to see many more soon.

At We Save The World, we celebrate solutions like this where innovation meets climate action