Six Flags Magic Mountain, based in Los Angeles, has broken ground on what it said will be the largest single-site commercial renewable energy project in California and the largest solar project for a for-profit in the nation.
The new site will be a 12.37-megawatt solar carport and energy storage system, with the solar carport built over the main guest parking lot and team member parking lot. The Magic Mountain project is the third solar installation for Six Flags. Six Flags Magic Mountain is an amusement park with more than 100 rides, games, and attractions. It is part of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the world’s largest regional theme park company.
The project comes amid an influx of new solar investments in the United States and globally. Current projections from the International Energy Agency recently determined that, based on current policies, solar power will generate more electricity than the entire United States power system currently does by 2030.
Notably, Six Flags’ solar project will enable the park to offset 100% of energy use with solar power. The plan also includes 30 parking spots for electric vehicles with charging spaces.
The battery storage system will produce approximately 2 MW of power, with up to 8 MWh of capacity that can be deployed daily. In total, the solar project will produce 20.8 million gigawatt hours of energy annually, enough to power 2,874 homes.
The offset in greenhouse gas emissions from the solar power generated equates to 34,194 barrels of oil consumed, 5,110 tons of waste recycled rather than landfilled, and 17,612 acres of U.S. forests, the company said. Plus, the energy is comparable to taking 3,182 cars off the road.
Couple with Six Flags’ other properties with solar capabilities -- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and New Jersey at Six Flags Great Adventure -- the sites have more than 30 MW of full operational solar power systems installed, and they will rank as the largest volume of onsite solar energy systems for any U.S. organization with a combined total of 42.37 MW.
“We’re thrilled to be breaking ground on this monumental project and taking the next step towards a cleaner, greener future,” Six Flags Magic Mountain Interim Park President Jeff Harris said in a statement. “We’re continuing to make advancements towards improving and protecting the environment, and are honored to be industry leaders, paving the way for other theme park companies around the world.”
