Solar and water Archives

July 16, 2025

By Jacob Stid, Michigan State University; Annick Anctil, Michigan State University, and Anthony Kendall, Michigan State University Imagine that you...

GRIST: What will the rise of floating solar panels mean for wildlife?

Grist

Planning and management

June 24, 2025

By Matt Simon, Grist This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. The newest,...

UC DAVIS: Helping birds and floating solar energy coexist

UC Davis

Ecosystems

May 12, 2025

Scientists outline key considerations for floatovoltaics and waterbirds By Kat Kerlin, UC Davis From a small California winery to a...

GRIST: Farmers are making bank harvesting a new crop: Solar energy

Grist

Agriculture

April 30, 2025

In California’s water-stressed Central Valley, farmers are fallowing land and installing solar, providing financial stability and saving water. By Matt...

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS: As solar booms in the California desert, locals feel ‘overburdened’

Inside Climate News

Planning and management

October 17, 2024

The country’s largest area designated for solar energy, Desert Center shows how sprawls of PV panels impact communities. Even supporters...

UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: The benefits of integrating solar energy with agriculture

Union of Concerned Scientists

Agriculture

July 26, 2024

Press release from the Union of Concerned Scientists Integrating solar energy with agricultural production can bring economic and environmental benefits...

AG ALERT: Land-use bill taps farmland for solar sites

Ag Alert

Agriculture Policy and regulation

April 17, 2024

By Caleb Hampton, Ag Alert Proposed state legislation to modify California’s longstanding farmland conservation law could pave the way for...

Rendering of the Ceres Innovation Center by Project Nexus.

UC MERCED: New Canal Project Expands on UC Merced Solar Research

UC Merced

Planning and management

April 6, 2024

By Patty Guerra, UC Merced Federal and state government officials journeyed to the western corner of Merced County on Thursday...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: California unveils research into ‘floating solar’ project over major canal

Courthouse News Service

Planning and management

April 5, 2024

California is using federal dollars for infrastructure improvement to pilot placing solar canopies over parts of its aqueducts to improve...

FEATURE: Agrivoltaics: Combining Agriculture and Solar PV for a Sustainable Future

Maven

Agriculture Notebook News and Features

September 6, 2023

California is leading the charge in clean energy with its ambitious goals. By 2030, the state aims to have 60...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Environmentalists push feds to add solar panels over US canals

Courthouse News Service

Planning and management

July 20, 2023

Placing solar panels over existing federal canals would create renewable power and prevent valuable water from evaporating at the same...

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS: Solar is Booming in the California Desert, if Water Issues Don’t Get in the Way

Inside Climate News

Planning and management

June 26, 2023

Utility-scale solar farms spreading rapidly across the desert Southwest are stressing the region’s already overtaxed groundwater and communities are beginning...

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS: In California’s Central Valley, the Plan to Build More Solar Faces a Familiar Constraint: The Need for More Power Lines

Inside Climate News

Groundwater News

March 26, 2023

The state could embrace “policy synergy” to deploy solar in areas transitioning out of agriculture, but the transmission lines must...

DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE: What happens when rain falls on desert soils? An updated model provides answers

Desert Research Institute

Hydrology

December 14, 2020

In the bigger picture, this study was motivated by the very practical question of what happens to rainwater when falling...