Large Disney World solar facility will help power 2 theme parks
The new solar farm being constructed on Walt Disney World property will create enough energy to power two of its four themes parks, the company announced.
We previously reported that Origis Energy USA will bring a new 270-acre, 50-megawatt solar facility online by the end of the year.
The new solar facility will include 518,000 solar panels and will help reduce greenhouse gas emission by more than 57,000 tons per year, which is the equivalent of removing 9,300 cars from the roads, Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks wrote on the Disney Parks Blog.
This project combined with the five-megawatt solar facility near Epcot that was developed in conjunction with the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Duke Energy, will be able to provide up to 25 percent of the power needed at the Walt Disney World Resort during the sun’s peak hours, Penning wrote.
The new facility is being built near the Animal Kingdom park off State Highway 429, west of the Magnolia and Palm golf courses.
In addition, cast members from Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment and Horticulture teams will look at ways to make the new solar facility pollinator friendly, with wildflowers and vegetation, creating a safe and welcoming habitat for butterflies, bees and other insects, including endangered and at-risk species.
