Efteling is installing an additional 12,000 solar panels as part of its attempts to become climate neutral by 2030 and climate positive by 2032.
The fairytale theme park in the Netherlands will begin constructing the new solar array with 12,000 solar panels in May this year. It is expected to be in use in September 2023.
The 29,200-square-metre solar array will be equivalent to the size of six football fields, meaning Efteling will be able to generate nearly 35 percent of its annual electricity.
The solar array will be built in a nearby meadow. The embankments and hedgerows will be decorated with trees and plants to keep the solar panels out of sight.
Efteling’s sustainability efforts
The trees and plants will be planted using the soil that was removed from the construction sites of the new Efteling Grand Hotel and Danse Macabre attraction.
Efteling has already installed its first 12,000 solar panels in the car park and on the roof of the Symbolica ride. The new additions will bring the park’s total solar panels to 24,000.
“The creation of the carport system with solar panels is our biggest step so far in terms of sustainability, and we are far from finished,” Fons Jurgens, Efteling’s CEO, said in October.
“This year, Efteling celebrates its 70th anniversary and we want to be able to offer another 70 years of enchantment, and beyond,” he added.
“It is therefore important that we take our sustainability seriously, ensuring that Efteling is still here in 70 years’ time, and we can pass on our beautiful park to future generations.”
Images: Efteling
