An aerial view of a tranquil pond with floating solar panels, surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills in autumn.
Surrounded by vineyards, 252 solar panels float on the Nelson Family Vineyards irrigation pond near Ukiah, Calif., on Tuesday Nov. 11, 2025. The array was switched on earlier this year. The farm hopes shade from the panels will slow the water fleas and aquatic weeds that clog its drip irrigation filters. (Nelson Family Vineyards via Bay City News)

UKIAH, CA., 10/23/26 — The new solar panels at Nelson Family Vineyards don’t take up any farmland. All 252 float on the irrigation pond.

“There’s nothing fancy about it. It’s just a bunch of solar panels, but they’re floating. And that makes it really, really cool,” owner Tyler Nelson said Friday. “It’s kind of fun to watch, and I love the electricity bill.”

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