{"id":43530,"date":"2026-10-22T13:55:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/?p=43530"},"modified":"2026-10-22T13:55:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:55:54","slug":"oregon-floating-solar-water-saving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/oregon-floating-solar-water-saving\/43530\/","title":{"rendered":"Near Central Point, Oregon, 1,776 planned floating solar panels could power homes while testing whether shade limits algae and evaporation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Water has been sitting quietly within a lined reservoir located close to Central Point, Oregon.<\/p>\n

However, things are about to get much more exciting for the water.<\/p>\n

This is a collaborative effort between the Medford Irrigation District and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.<\/p>\n

It is going to bring a completely new way to create clean power<\/strong> in the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

The reservoir provides an open location with ample sunlight for solar generation.<\/p>\n

The floating structures will be secured in place using a mooring system connected around the reservoir.<\/p>\n

When one reservoir serves two purposes<\/h2>\n

Floating solar panels were placed above a district reservoir instead of using the space for fertile land.<\/p>\n

The panels cover just over 1.8 acres of open water.<\/p>\n

There are a total of 1,776 panels that form the grid.<\/p>\n

Placing solar infrastructure on top of bodies of water offers multiple advantages.<\/p>\n

During dry summer months, direct sunlight hits the exposed reservoir and causes significant evaporation.<\/p>\n

By shading the water’s surface, less moisture is lost into the atmosphere<\/strong>, allowing irrigation districts to save more water for local farmers.<\/p>\n

The water benefits do not stop there<\/h3>\n

In addition to retaining more water, blocking sunlight limits algae growth.<\/p>\n

Harmful algae blooms can damage water quality and clog irrigation systems used by farmers in the local area.<\/p>\n

Maintenance personnel believe that reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the reservoir<\/strong> could help limit algae growth.<\/p>\n

Cooling water flowing below the panel system may help maintain lower operating temperatures for the photovoltaic panels.<\/p>\n

Panels get hot in the summertime, and when exposed to excessive amounts of sunlight, their ability to convert energy is greatly diminished.<\/p>\n

Therefore, this cool water flow may provide an additional benefit for solar energy production.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The panels float, but the benefits reach nearby homes<\/h2>\n

Once operational, the energy produced by the floating solar array will flow into the local electric utility grid.<\/p>\n

Local families residing in the Medford area can subscribe to a portion of the clean energy generated by the project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sixty residential subscriptions are available to local families.<\/p>\n

Eligible customers within the utility service area, including renters, apartment dwellers, and homeowners, may subscribe to the project subject to program requirements.<\/p>\n

Each subscriber receives credits on their monthly utility bill based on their share of the energy produced<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This method eliminates large upfront costs involved in purchasing and installing your own personal solar panel equipment.<\/p>\n

Families can contribute to regional renewable energy development without having to physically modify their property in any way.<\/p>\n

Operation of the floating solar array is currently expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 2026.<\/p>\n

Interested persons may pre-register for their subscription slots via an online portal prior to beginning actual operation of the facility.<\/p>\n

In addition, this subscription process gives local households access to the benefits of community solar without installing equipment on their own property through the Medford Irrigation District<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What this means for regional clean energy goals<\/h2>\n

Oregon has implemented a state-sponsored Community Solar Program which enables dispersed renewable energy production among multiple locations statewide.<\/p>\n

The Community Solar Program enables participants to connect with numerous registered clean energy projects located across multiple county districts.<\/p>\n

The Medford Irrigation District’s project represents a pilot for future floating solar arrays located on reservoirs and canals throughout the state of Oregon.<\/p>\n

Using existing artificial water surfaces for producing clean energy creates no land use conflict with traditional agriculture practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While generating clean energy, the project may help reduce water loss from evaporation, a benefit that will be evaluated through long-term monitoring.<\/p>\n

The real test begins after construction<\/h3>\n

Community members will be able to monitor how the installation performs during its first complete year of operation.<\/p>\n

Results may help determine whether floating solar can be deployed more broadly across other irrigation districts in the region.<\/p>\n

Projects such as this may encourage additional dual-purpose water and solar developments<\/a> throughout the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

If successful, the project could provide useful information for future floating solar developments elsewhere in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Water has been sitting quietly within a lined reservoir located close to Central Point, Oregon. However, things are about to get much more exciting for the water. This is a collaborative effort between the Medford Irrigation District and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. It is going to bring a completely new way to create clean power … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":43628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"Oregon,floating,solar","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Floating solar panels in Oregon could generate community energy while reducing evaporation and limiting algae growth in a working irrigation reservoir.","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43530"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43718,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43530\/revisions\/43718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}