Disneyland transforms its parking lot into a giant solar power 'farm'.

Disneyland Paris (France) has transformed its nearly 200.000 m2 parking lot into Europe's largest renewable energy roof project, with over 82.000 solar panels installed across 11.200 parking spaces.

Roofing system Solar This facility has the capacity to produce approximately 36 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity per year, equivalent to the electricity needs of about 17.000 households.

In addition to creating a source clean energyFurthermore, the shelter system also provides practical benefits for visitors. Thousands of cars, campers, and tour vehicles are protected from the sun, rain, and snow when parked in this area.

Construction of the roof system began in 2020, through a collaboration between Disneyland Paris and Urbasolar, a solar energy developer belonging to the Swiss energy group Axpo.

The project is part of Disney's environmental strategy, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy in its global operations.

Natacha Rafalski, President of Disneyland Paris, said the park aims to be a model of sustainable development for large-scale tourist destinations.

"We want to demonstrate that tourist destinations attracting millions of visitors each year can still be operated responsibly and contribute to the environment.", she said.

According to experts, such projects could become a noteworthy model for cities around the world. Instead of occupying land to build solar power farms, large parking lots could be utilized to install solar panel systems without affecting the current land use.

Damien Audric, Director of Planning and Environment at Disneyland Paris, emphasized that the project demonstrates how renewable energy can be integrated into existing urban infrastructure.

"We are both generating clean electricity on-site and improving the visitor experience by protecting their vehicles from the heat, rain, and snow.", he said. "This area is also equipped with charging stations for electric vehicles, encouraging the use of environmentally friendly transportation."

Environmental planners also argue that solar roofing can help reduce the urban heat island effect, as asphalt surfaces absorb and retain heat. The roofing provides shade for the ground while still producing clean electricity.

This system is expected to help reduce approximately 890 tons of CO2 emissions per year by replacing electricity from fossil fuels.

The solar power project at the parking lot is just one part of Disneyland Paris's sustainable development efforts. In recent years, the resort has implemented many other environmental initiatives such as improving its wastewater treatment system, applying geothermal heating, and reducing plastic waste.