NewsUniversal Orlando powers electric buses with new floating solar array
D3Energy built a 1.4 megawatt floating solar system at Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida. The project was energized earlier this year as part of a 3.7 megawatt total solar program. The floating panels charge the theme park electric bus fleet at night.
If you are taking your family down to Florida for Yom Tov or winter break, your kids might soon be riding roller coasters powered straight from the Florida sunshine. D3Energy, a United States floating solar developer and engineering firm based in Florida, just completed a 1.4 megawatt floating solar project at the brand new Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida. One point four megawatts is enough clean electricity to power about 1,100 average homes. This massive array is part of a larger 3.7 megawatt solar program across the entire Epic Universe park managed by Qcells, a major global solar technology company. The floating panels sit right on the water and generate juice during the day. That power gets stored in big batteries and then pumped directly into Universal brand new electric bus fleet every single night. Epic Universe is the very first theme park to hit LEED Platinum certification under LEED for Communities for top tier environmental design. This is actually the second floating solar job D3Energy built for Universal Orlando Resort, following their first setup at the main Orlando campus back in 2021. Both of these projects use special floating technology made by Ciel and Terre. Stetson Tchividjian, Managing Director of D3Energy, said they are proud to keep building green energy for such an innovative destination. He noted that Universal continues to lead the way in theme park sustainability. Even the roller coasters cannot match the speed at which the solar industry is adopting these clever water mounted panels. Here is what this means for you and your business. As big companies like Universal invest heavily in local clean energy and battery storage, the price of commercial solar installations and battery backups keeps dropping. If you own a warehouse in Lakewood or a fleet of delivery trucks in Brooklyn, these massive utility wins help drive down the cost of green tech for everyone else. You might soon find it much cheaper to put solar panels on your own roof and charge your work vans for pennies.