The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) has unveiled the country’s first solar-over-canal project in Sacaton, Arizona, backed by a $5.6 million grant from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.

The project aligns with the Investing in America agenda by merging renewable energy production with water conservation. Workers have installed 2,556 solar panels across 2,782 feet of the Casa Blanca Canal, cutting water evaporation by nearly 50%.

The flowing water beneath the panels also increases efficiency through a natural cooling effect.

GRIC Governor Stephen Roe Lewis reportedly said in a written statement, “The Gila River Indian Community is proud to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking solar-over-canal project, which not only generates renewable energy but also conserves our most precious resource — water.” 

Rep. Greg Stanton, White House Senior Advisor, Tom Perez, and Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo, joined the celebration, praising the tribe’s innovative approach to water conservation. 

The project, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, tackles three major challenges: climate change, water scarcity, and renewable energy needs. According to the Department of the Interior, the project will generate 1.31 megawatts of clean energy for the tribal nation. 

Rep. Stanton, a staunch supporter of the project, reportedly told the crowd while celebrating when the first power was turned on to the canal project, “We simply can’t overcome the issues of drought here in Arizona without the leadership of tribal communities and the Gila River Indian Community.”

As the GRIC develops additional phases of the solar-over-canal projects, it establishes new standards for sustainability and offers a model of addressing climate change nationwide.