Crews have installed more than 1,700 solar panels on a reservoir in Central Point. The first-of-its-kind project in Oregon will generate revenue for the Medford Irrigation District while conserving water during hot summer months.

The panels float on a re-regulating reservoir that the district fills with surplus flows and releases during drier periods.

The Medford Irrigation District expects to generate around $75,000 per year from selling solar-generated power, with 10% of that electricity going to low-income households through the Oregon Community Solar Program.

The district will use the money for a slate of modernization projects, including converting canals to enclosed piping.

“The irrigation communities are looking for more tools in their toolkit to make their water supply [last] longer, but also have financial resources to be able to modernize their systems that are often 100 and or 125 years old,” said Julie O’Shea of the non-profit Farmers Conservation Alliance, a partner in the project.

She said floating solar panels can also prevent evaporation and lower the reservoir’s water temperature.

Medford Irrigation District manager Jack Friend said the panels could help combat aquatic moss, which grows in warmer water and chokes up reservoirs during the summer.

“This kind of helps us be a little bit more resilient and flexible,” Friend said. “We’re seeing some pretty significant droughts back-to-back right now that are kind of historical for our system.”

While this is the first project in the state, other irrigation districts are considering installing similar systems.

“Everyone is kind of looking at it to see where they can fit it in and where it works,” Friend said.

O’Shea said the project will provide valuable information for other districts.

Oregon State University researchers found that adding floating solar panels to every federally owned reservoir could power 100 million homes in the U.S. Although they note there could be ecological costs depending on the location.

Justin Higginbottom is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/12/jackson-county-oregon-floating-solar-project/