LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and Tampa Electric are partnering on a 2-megawatt solar energy project that will produce electricity — and shade — for visitors at the popular vacation destination, a project announced today as part of an Earth Day commemoration at the resort #BuiltForKids.
Beginning this spring, Tampa Electric will install a canopy of solar panels over the resort’s preferred parking lot, adjacent to the theme park entrance. When operational later this year, the solar photovoltaic installation is estimated to produce enough electricity to power up to 250 homes annually, while shading more than 600 vehicles. Tampa Electric will own and maintain the solar array, with all power entering TECO’s electrical grid for the benefit of its more than 725,000 customers, including LEGOLAND Florida Resort.
The solar energy project is one of several ongoing environmental initiatives at the site, which includes the iconic theme park, a 5-acre water park and 152-room themed hotel. In order to manage resources in a sustainable and responsible way, the resort has established a “Green Wave” committee to coordinate the efforts of multiple departments. Recent efforts include:
- Nearly 1 ton of LEGO® brick has been collected on site for recycling. After melting or grinding the toys down to their core material, the plastic is then redistributed to manufacture new products.
- In the theme park, the 12 electric vehicles at the Ford Junior Driving School attraction are charged entirely with solar power, letting kids take the wheel for a quiet, energy-efficient circuit around a mock road.
- A 30-kilowatt solar panel array is mounted atop the park’s Imagination Zone venue. The system supports Tampa Electric’s Renewable Energy program, which lets the company’s customers purchase a portion of their electricity from renewable sources.
- Resort guests driving electric or hybrid vehicles can now take advantage of a two-car charging station recently installed in front of LEGOLAND Hotel.
- Under the Citrus Connection Universal Access program, all Model Citizens employed at LEGOLAND Florida Resort can enjoy unlimited, seven-day-a-week rides on the transit agency’s bus routes throughout Polk County, resulting in 22,581 fewer vehicle trips on area roads in 2015.
- During its first several months of operation in 2015, LEGOLAND Hotel distributed 384 bars of soap to Clean the World. The Florida nonprofit delivers recycled hygiene products donated by the hospitality industry to domestic homeless shelters and developing countries suffering from high death rates due to acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease.
