Central Point’s irrigation reservoir just turned into a power plant, with more than 1,700 solar panels now floating on the surface in what officials say is Oregon’s first floating solar installation. The Medford Irrigation District says the new array should help cut evaporation and algae while also bringing in a modest revenue stream for long-needed canal modernization.
The system is rated at 800 kilowatts and includes 1,776 panels spread across roughly 1.8 acres of water, according to the Medford Irrigation District. The project will enroll local customers through Oregon’s community solar program, offering about 60 residential subscriptions whose credits feed into the grid. As reported by OPB, the district expects to net roughly $75,000 a year from the floating array and plans to put that money into enclosing open canals with piping and other modernization work.
Why Water Managers Backed It
Project partners say the floating racks shade the reservoir, which reduces evaporation and can lower surface temperatures, changes that help limit algae and other warm-water growth. Medford Irrigation District manager Jack Friend told reporters that the panels "could help combat aquatic moss" that clogs the system in hot weather and that the installation "helps us be a little bit more resilient and flexible." Those comments were included in coverage by OPB.
Local Benefits And Community Solar
Under Oregon’s Community Solar Program, at least 10% of a project’s capacity must be reserved for low-income subscribers, program material shows, and the Medford Irrigation District project will send a portion of its output into that required pool. Oregon Community Solar Program documentation outlines the low-income allocation rules and subscription protections. Project partners, including the Farmers Conservation Alliance and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, are handling outreach and signups for subscribers in the Rogue Valley, according to the Farmers Conservation Alliance’s project page.
What This Could Mean For Oregon
Other irrigation districts are already sizing up similar projects as a way to combine water conservation with a new source of revenue. The Central Oregonian reported on a separate district’s plans for floating solar, and federal documents show the U.S. Department of Energy has participated in early funding and review for Medford-area community solar pilots. Nationally, a 2025 analysis from NREL found that floating photovoltaics on federally controlled reservoirs could technically supply energy on a very large scale, roughly equivalent to powering tens of millions of homes under broad assumptions, highlighting how much potential is tied to specific sites.
Medford Irrigation District officials say they will track how the Central Point array performs over the coming summer and share those results with other districts that are weighing floating solar. The Medford Irrigation District says this pilot will help determine whether similar multi-benefit projects can become part of broader water and energy strategies across Oregon.
