Golden State Today

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced the state's pioneering efforts in generating clean electricity and conserving water through innovative solar-over-canal projects. The Governor highlighted the significance of these initiatives, stating, “California is pioneering innovations to tackle our biggest challenges, and here in the Central Valley we’re addressing two big challenges at the same time – generating clean electricity and conserving water."

The state has invested in a $20 million solar-over-canal pilot project in Turlock, with Governor Newsom revealing plans for another project near Los Banos in collaboration with the Biden Administration. Solar panels installed over water canals aim to reduce evaporation, improve water quality, and provide renewable power generation. UC Merced will conduct a study on the Turlock project to assess its potential impact, including water conservation and clean energy generation.

According to initial findings, scaling these projects statewide could save California over 60 billion gallons of water annually, sufficient for 2 million people, and generate 13 gigawatts of clean power, a significant contribution to the state's decarbonization goals. Governor Newsom emphasized California's commitment to embracing innovation and fostering new technologies to address not only the state's challenges but also those on a global scale.

These projects align with California's clean energy goals, with nearly 60% of the state's electricity sourced from clean sources. The state has made substantial progress in clean electricity capacity, battery storage, and is on track to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2045. Moreover, California's efforts extend to water conservation and storage, with over $9 billion invested in water projects in the last three years, expanding water supplies and storage by over 400 billion gallons.

The state's comprehensive approach to water management includes streamlining projects, environmental restoration initiatives, and significant investments to address the impacts of the climate crisis. California's commitment to sustainability and innovation in both energy and water sectors continues to set an example for addressing pressing environmental challenges.