Six Flags over Solar: Amusement park adding PV & Battery Storage at Magic Mountain
Texas-based amusement park corporation Six Flags Entertainment has partnered with Solar Optimum and DSD Renewables to install a 12.37-MW solar carport and energy storage system at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, California.
According to Six Flags, the solar carport will be built over the main guest parking lot and will have a battery storage system producing 1.958 MW of power with about 7.89 MWh of capacity that can be deployed daily.
This solar installation is expected to produce 20.8 million kWh of energy annually, which is enough to power 2,874 homes and 1.79 million smartphones. It will also offset greenhouse gas emissions each year comparable to 34,194 barrels of oil consumed, 5,110 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled and 17,612 acres of U.S. forests.
The installation will also offset CO2 equivalents each year comparable to taking 3,182 cars off the road, 37.8 million miles driven by an average gasoline-powered automobile and 1.6 million gallons of gasoline consumed. Furthermore, the park will be able to offset 100 percent of its energy usage with solar power.
“Six Flags has placed a high priority on efforts to improve and protect the environment, leading the way for theme park companies around the world and capturing the attention of other private organizations that also have the power to drive solar projects,” said Jason Freeman, Vice President of Operations, Public Safety, Engineering & Maintenance at Six Flags. “By partnering with experts like Solar Optimum and DSD Renewables, we can continue to improve our environmental programs with additional waste, water and energy reduction targets and initiatives.”
Besides Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Northern California and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey have also established on-site solar capabilities with a combined capacity of more than 30 MW.
Solar Optimum is a California-based solar, battery storage and roofing company, while DSD Renewables is a New York-based commercial and industrial solar developer.