A solution to our data center woes? Covering California’s canals with solar panels could generate a staggering…

• Covering 4,000 kilometers of canals would save 63 billion gallons of water and generate 13GW of power annually
• Pilot project shows significant drops in water loss and algae growth
• Critics argue that the project is too expensive, and preventing canal evaporation can be counterproductive

California's extensive canal network could become a massive source of clean energy while saving billions of gallons of water each year.

A University of California study found covering roughly 4,000 kilometers of canals with solar panels would generate 13GW of power annually and save 63 billion gallons of water.

That amount of water is enough to meet the residential needs of more than two million people every single year.

What the pilot project has proven so far

A small-scale demonstration called the Nexus project was built to test whether this concept actually works in real-world conditions.

The 1.6-megawatt Nexus installation sits on canals operated by the...

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