Disneyland Paris has started building the final phase of the largest solar canopy plant in Europe, due to be finished at the end of 2023.
Under construction at Disneyland Paris since 2020, the solar plant already produces 27 GWh/year – thanks to 63,000 solar panels.
Upon completion, it will cover 11,200 parking spaces and produce 36 GWh/year, which is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a town of 17,400 people.
Additionally, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 890 tonnes of CO2 per year in the Val d’Europe district.
Solar plant to produce 36 GWh/year
“As the top tourist destination in Europe, we have a responsibility to continue to operate and grow our business in a way that will allow us to deliver a positive environmental legacy for future generations,” said Natacha Rafalski, Disneyland Paris’ president.
“From our day-to-day operations to the implementation of new and ambitious projects – such as the installation of a solar canopy plant on our guest parking lot – we are more than ever adopting a deliberate approach to effectively mitigate our environmental footprint.”
Disneyland Paris also uses geothermal energy to cover 18 percent of its annual needs. The resort is testing more projects, including the use of ‘agrodigesters’ to turn food waste into water for plants.
In addition, Disneyland Paris was the first theme park in Europe to get its own wastewater treatment plant in 2013, with 95 percent of the treated water reused for various purposes.
As for biodiversity, the landscaping team cares for 450 hectares of green spaces, 330,000 shrubs and bushes, 7,400 square metres of flowerbeds, and 33,000 trees.
Elsewhere, Tokyo Disney Resort has installed solar panels at nine backstage locations, and Hong Kong Disneyland is home to more than 7,500 solar panels.
Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, is equipped with 4,320 solar panels, while 1,400 solar panels are producing power at Disneyland Resort in California.
In Florida, Walt Disney World Resort houses a 48,000-panel solar array in the shape of Mickey Mouse, as well as a 270-acre solar facility. Next year, the resort’s solar energy resources will more than double with two new solar arrays.
Disney speaking at greenloop
Emily Dow, Design Studio Executive and Caitlin Krasovic, Senior Architect, Walt Disney Imagineering will speak at greenloop, online 25-26 April.
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Images: Disney
