Entertainment destination Legoland Windsor is set to install a solar PV carport, with the electricity generated from the site able to power its new guest accommodation.
The move is enabling Legoland to describe its new Woodland Village as its “first carbon neutral guest accommodation”.
Installed by facilities management company Mitie under a new partnership between Zestec Renewable Energy and Merlin Attractions Operations, which owns Legoland, the 1.2MW arrayed solar carport will generate over 1.1 million kWh of clean electricity annually. It is expected to save 195 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, which Merlin said is equivalent to taking around 130 average petrol cars off the road annually.
As well as being a new renewable energy source, the carport will also provide shaded parking for guests, highlighting how sustainability initiatives can also be part of an organisation’s customer experience improvement strategy.
The energy onsite at Legoland was already procured via a green electricity tariff, but the new onsite solar project represents a further step forward, with clean electricity generated and consumed directly at the source.
Mitie has also already supported the UK transition to low-carbon operations, through solar PV installations for organisations such as Pets at Home, David Lloyd Leisure, and the Department for Work and Pensions. Zestec Renewable Energy is owned by funds managed by Octopus Energy Generation.
Dare Ilori, group sustainability director at Merlin Entertainments Group, remarked: “The delivery of the solar carport demonstrates Merlin’s commitment to long-term sustainability and continued investment across the Legoland Windsor resort, delivering the ultimate guest experience.
“In the past eight years, we have successfully reduced our absolute carbon emissions by 25% and our carbon intensity by an impressive 43% across global operations, and have plans to go much further, becoming a carbon neutral in operation by 2030.”
Read more about solar power in retail on Green Retail World
[image credit: Mitie/Merlin Entertainments Group]
