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As The Walt Disney Company seeks to further develop its integration of renewable energy, one of the most noticeable ways they are going about it is through the adoption of solar energy.
Recognized best by the “hidden Mickey” solar array at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Parks has continued to expand the practice to all of the Theme Parks are Resorts, including those with very little sunlight.
Credit: Disney
On April 11, 2023, Disney Parks announced that Disneyland Paris would soon become the home of the largest solar canopy in all of Europe:
This Earth Month, we’re excited to announce that Disneyland Paris started construction on the final phase of what will be the largest solar canopy plant in all of Europe. Once completed later this year, the solar canopy plant will produce 36 GWh/year, equivalent to the energy consumption of a town of 17,400 people.
We at Disney Fanatic have previously reported on this story as Disneyland Paris’ open-air parking lot is now becoming covered by solar panel-capped canopies. The entire 11,200-car parking lot is expected to be covered, providing both power to the Parks as well as shade for the Guests’ vehicles.
The project’s completion is being touted as a triumph for the Mouse House, especially as all of France looks for ways to end its dependence on Russian oil and natural gas in the wake of the war in Ukraine. But there is also great irony, as Disneyland Paris receives the least amount of sunlight each year compared to every other Disney Theme Park Resort in the world.
Credit: Disney
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According to weather-and-climate.com, Disneyland Paris Resort receives an average of 1735 sun hours per year, with the highest percentage of sunlight in a day occurring in August at 49%. Meanwhile, Tokyo, Japan–the only other Disney Theme Park at a similar latitude–receives 1930 sun hours per year.
Appropriately located in The Sunshine State, The Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando, Florida, averages 3,224 sunlight hours per year–almost double the amount found in the French countryside. Disney World also hosts four Theme Parks that include some of the biggest open-air parking lots of the entire Disney Park family.
Credit: @DLPReport
This is not intended to belittle the accomplishments underway at Disneyland Paris, but if Disney wants to make any real headway with solar energy, its Imagineers would be better to stop cutting down Florida trees and build the energy-collecting canopies over the hundreds of acres of sun-baked parking spaces where the most amount of energy will undoubtedly be collected each year.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.
