Disney unveiled their 48,000-panel solar energy field near Epcot, it has been organized in the shape of the entertainment company’s most iconic character: Mickey Mouse. The facility, built in collaboration with Duke Energy Florida, is situated near one of Disney’s theme parks in Bay Lake, Florida.
Equivalent in size to about 1,000 residential solar systems, the panels will generate peak output of about 5 megawatts.
In the mid-1960’s, when Walt Disney selected 25,000 acres of mostly uninhabited swampland and forest to build his second theme park, the area was so remote that the nearest power and water lines were 10 to 15 miles away. Furthermore, the property straddled 2 separate counties and neither of the counties had the services or resources needed to support a resort of that size.
The solution proposed by the Florida State Legislature, working with the Walt Disney World Company, was to create a special tax district called the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This solution has been quoted as a prime example of how Local Governments can partner with private industry to solve problems that they can’t solve on their own. This new district would act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government. A county government with just one tenant that is, because the Walt Disney Corporation would be solely responsible for paying the cost of providing typical municipal services like power, water, roads, fire protection, etc.
The cherry on top that sealed the deal was that local taxpayers, meaning residents of Orange and Osceola County, would not have to pay for building or maintaining those services, making it a win-win for everyone.
Fast forward to 2015. As part of Disney’s efforts to make its resorts more environmentally sustainable, a 5-megawatt solar facility project was announced.
