Orgis Energy via Walt Disney World(ORLANDO) — Disney just got a whole lot greener!
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 “
The new facility is Disney’s largest solar endeavor to date and is expected to generate enough energy to power two of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World.
The 50 megawatt solar farm features 500,000 panels, which “is equal to about removing 10,000 cars from the road,” said Renner.
This is the second solar plant at Walt Disney World — the company announced a 22-acre Mickey Mouse-shaped facility in 2016 near EPCOT.
These facilities are all part of Disney’s goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2020.
“[These projects] tag onto a long legacy of environmental stewardship that started with Walt [Disney],” Renner noted.
The new site was built in collaboration with the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Origis Energy.
“A lot of companies are understanding their carbon footprint and their impacts across the globe,” said Orgis Energy’s Scott Shivley when asked about the rising corporate trend of using solar energy.
“It’s been a lot easier [for companies] to be cost effective as well as to meet the goals of renewable energy,” added Reedy Creek director John Giddens.
Along with the solar energy harnessed by the panels, Disney also worked with environmental and horticulture experts to ensure the new plant is a nurturing habitat for wildlife, like bees and butterflies.
Two-thirds of the facility is pollinator-friendly and it also features an experimental test garden to improve research on the area.
“We have a really important opportunity here to make this site as pollinator-friendly as possible,” said Rachel Smith, a Conservation Programs Manager from Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment team.
“We know they give back to us so much so we’re trying to create that habitat for them,” Smith added.
The company’s longstanding commitment to environmental conservation could offer a whole new world of Disney magic to visitors coming to its parks.
“I hope everyone is as excited as we are to harness the power of the sun and about this new renewable facility that’s helping bring magic and clean energy to the Disney Resort,” said Renner.
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