In partnership with Seattle City Light, Woodland Park Zoo will install solar panels this month on the roof of the carousel pavilion, located on the zoo’s north meadow. To accommodate construction, the carousel will be closed to visitors starting Tuesday, Jan. 18, and will reopen to riders in early February.
The solar panels are expected to produce 9,000 kilowatt-hours annually, enough to offset the electricity required to power the carousel, which completes an average 100,000 rides per year. The project also serves as a model for renewable energy options for local homeowners; according to City Light, 9,000 kilowatt-hours is also the annual amount of electricity needed to power the average Seattle home.
Woodland Park Zoo is committed to sustainable operations made possible through public and private partnerships. Using a data-driven approach, Woodland Park Zoo has formally adopted a sustainability plan focused on reducing zoo greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1999 levels by 2012 and 20 percent by 2020. For more information about sustainability efforts, visit www.zoo.org/greenzoo.
