The Disney Parks Blog put out a major statement regarding the company’s use of solar panels in many of its theme park resorts. Missing from this year’s stats was Walt Disney World Resort after serious scrutiny was placed on the company via the local government.
For quite a while there has been talk that Disney World is somehow powered by the sun. It’s been part of Disney’s green energy agenda and talking points for years now. However, after the Reedy Creek Improvement District was dissolve and the Central Florida Oversight District took over, major scrutiny was placed on what exactly was going on with Disney World’s utilities. One of the most intriguing findings was that the solar farms Disney has touted in the past might actually be on leased property and the energy might be going to a third party utility company called Duke Energy. That made Disney’s claims of Disney World generated electricity via solar a bit more convoluted.
Back in 2019, it was presented in a much more clear-cut way. Disney was building hundreds of acres of solar panels and they were making Disney World green!
Walt Disney World has unveiled its newest and largest solar farm. At 270 acres, the site is almost twice the size of the entire Magic Kingdom.
“Here at Disney, every day is Earth Day,” Angie Renner, Environmental Integration Director of Disney Parks told “GMA.”
Now, a new Disney Parks Blog is out celebrating Earth Day by invoking all the accolades the company is achieving through solar energy… and what would have been its biggest solar farms are nowhere to be seen in the press release. Is that confirmation that those solar farms are actually operated by a third party without direct connections to the parks? Hard to say. But CFTOD may be creating new headaches for Disney as they figure out what to say about sunlight power in the sunshine state!
Here’s the post from Disney Parks Blog:
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Here at Disney, we’re powering the magic all around the world through solar! From Paris to the Bahamas, we’re building special solar arrays to keep our destinations fully energized with a goal of reaching net zero by 2030. And today, we’re sharing a few fascinating facts about Disney solar that may just surprise you!
We are committed to taking action to support a healthier planet for people and wildlife – collective efforts which we call Disney Planet Possible. In the spirit of Disney Planet Possible and in celebration of Earth Day, here are 3 fun facts about solar at Disney!
1. Disneyland Paris Home to Largest Solar Array in Europe
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Disneyland Paris recently unveiled a new solar canopy plant, producing 36 GWh/year – which is equivalent to the energy consumption of a town of 17,400 people! Not only that, but that makes this solar array the largest in all of Europe! The solar canopy plant also covers the entire guest parking lot (11,200 parking spaces). Don’t be fooled, the canopy has more than one trick up its sleeve. It also doubles as a way of providing guests with shade and shelter from all types of weather.
2. Solar Goes Big in Hong Kong!
Another exciting milestone can be found across the globe at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which is home to the largest solar panel site in all of Hong Kong. Across 47 locations, covering the park and hotels, the team installed over 7,500 solar panels which generate 3 megawatts (MW) of solar powered electricity per year.
3. Solar Powered Racing at Disneyland
Did you know a solar array sits atop Radiator Springs Racers at Disney’s California Adventure? More than 1,400 high-efficiency solar panels soak up the California sunshine above the attraction, helping power the magic of Disneyland Resort. Fun Fact: the 40,000-square-foot system generates an amount equivalent to the energy used to power 100 Anaheim homes each year. Ka-Chow – that’s how we Git-R-Done!? More than 1,400 high-efficiency solar panels soak up the California sunshine above the attraction, helping power the magic of Disneyland Resort. Fun Fact: the 40,000-square-foot system generates an amount equivalent to the energy used to power 100 Anaheim homes each year. Ka-Chow – that’s how we Git-R-Done!
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So what do you think about Disney leaving our their hundreds of acres of solar farms at Walt Disney World Resort? Let us know down in the comments below.
This post was originally published on 3rd party site mentioned in the title of this site
