California to cover canals with solar panels to combat drought, climate change
Two things on California’s wish list — more water and more power — may come soon with a first-in-the-nation plan to cover irrigation canals with solar panels. The project, which aims to save water by reducing evaporation from canals while generating renewable energy, is small, encompassing nearly two miles of waterways in the Central Valley. The hope, though, is to showcase the simple but largely untested concept so that it catches on with agricultural and urban water suppliers across the state, and beyond.