Walt Disney once said, “Conservation isn’t just the business of a few people; it’s a matter that concerns all of us.” Years later, The Walt Disney Company continues to move forward with this sentiment. In Disneyland Paris in particular, a milestone was reached and celebrated that has been years in the making.
In 2020, Disneyland Paris began work on a solar canopy plant in collaboration with French company Urbasolar Group.This canopy was completed last year and went into full operation in December 2023. Since coming on line, the plant now creates 36 GWh/year. This is equivalent to the use of the energy consumption of a town of over 17,400 people. It also helps lower greenhouse gas emissions in the Val d’Europe area by approximately 890 tons of CO2 per year.
The solar canopy plant is made up of over 80,000 panels and cover 11,200 parking spots across nearly 50 acres. This allows guests and their vehicles to enjoy protection from direct sunlight, rain or snow, and also help contribute to a greener future. The process of making this happen took many different people and teams. It continues the dream of conservation that Walt Disney had so many years ago.
Next Step
The next step for Disneyland Paris will be the installation of a Thermo-refrigerating pump, which has the power to provide simultaneous heating and cooling. Upon installation, the pump will help reduce the resort’s natural gas consumption by 14% and it will also reduce the combined use of geothermal energy and natural gas by 10%. These are used for heating. The cutting-edge machine will also make it possible to reduce the consumption of recycled water provided by the resort’s wastewater treatment plant by approximately 30,000 cubic meters. All of this saved water will then be used to take care of the green spaces throughout the resort and also to clean pathways. Disneyland Paris also leverages geothermal energy, which provides up to 18% of Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park and Disneyland Hotel’s heating needs. In total, the Thermo-refrigerating pump will allow Disneyland Paris to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 9%.*
Disneyland Paris continues to work toward conserving the planet and also utilizing reusable energy. It has many initiatives to be more environmentally sustainable. What do you think of the efforts by Disneyland Paris to help preserve the environment? Share your thoughts thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
*Compared to 2019
