The Walt Disney Company has revealed more about the new solar arrays that will power up to 40 percent of Walt Disney World Resort’s annual energy needs.
Disney announced two new solar facilities for Disney World in April 2021. They will come online near the attraction in Florida in 2023. The resort already has two solar arrays, including one in the shape of Mickey Mouse.
Walt Disney World Resort’s available solar energy resources will more than double with the new 75 MW solar arrays, which will be located in Gilchrist County and Polk County on more than 1,000 total acres.
Combined, the solar facilities will introduce nearly a half million solar panels capable of producing more than 375,000 MWh of carbon-free solar energy in their first full year of operation.
This is equivalent to removing 29,500 cars from the roads annually. Putting the solar arrays elsewhere in Florida means Disney will not need to worry about sunny skies in one area for reliable solar energy.
Solar Facilities to come online in Florida in 2023
In December 2020, Disney released a set of environmental goals that focused on achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions for its direct operations, reducing waste, building more sustainably, and developing packaging and products that lessened its environmental footprint.
The company has also installed solar arrays at Castaway Cay and Hong Kong Disneyland, and diverted 61 percent of its total operational waste from landfills. In addition, the company launched plastic-free packaging for a line of classic dolls.
Walt Disney Imagineering’s Emily Dow, design studio executive, and Caitlin Krasovic, senior architect, are speaking at greenloop, a conference on sustainability in visitor attractions.
blooloop is supporting Earth Day’s tree planting Canopy Project by donating £1 for each ticket sold, and will also give at least 5 percent of greenloop ticketing revenue to Project Seagrass.
greenloop takes place online on 19 and 20 April.
