Harvesting the Florida Sun: Disney World Runs on 100% Solar

Next time you visit Walt Disney World in Orlando and find yourself sweating in line for Space Mountain, it’s worth remembering that the sun isn’t just beating down on you, it’s helping power the ride ahead. In a major sustainability milestone, Disney’s four solar facilities can now generate enough energy to meet up to 100% of the resort’s daytime electricity needs.

The “Hidden Mickey” solar array. Image courtesy of Disney Parks

The Latest Solar Facility

The 74,500 kW, 484-acre site in Levy County, Florida, is the latest solar facility to come online and supply clean electricity to Walt Disney World. It was built and operated by Bronson Solar in collaboration with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

To put that scale in perspective, the project spans the equivalent of 366 football fields. It joins a growing portfolio of installations, including the fan-favorite "Hidden Mickey" solar array, which may be solar energy's most whimsical landmark, a 5,000 kW installation shaped like Mickey Mouse near EPCOT.

Across all four solar facilities, the resort now has 600,000 panels feeding power to every corner of the property. They generate 212,000 kW.

Solar panels under the Florida sun. Image used courtesy of Disney

The solar facility’s scale makes sense considering what it's powering. Walt Disney World's four theme parks—Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom—along with two water parks, are among the biggest consumers of the resort's solar power.

Add in over 20 themed hotels, hundreds of restaurants, a monorail system, and continuous on-site entertainment, and the energy demand becomes intense.

The approximate level of solar energy generated across the Florida resort reduces annual greenhouse gas emissions by more than 140,000 metric tons, equivalent to removing nearly 33,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road each year.

Disney's math suggests the solar output could power the resort's monorail for 34 years, charge 15 billion smartphones, or supply the energy needs of 19,000 homes for a full year.

Disney and Solar, Worldwide

The company has been rolling out renewable energy initiatives across its global portfolio of parks and resorts for some time now.

At Disneyland Resort in California, the resort now sources 60% of its electricity from renewable energy resources through the Anaheim Public Utilities Green Power Program. Some 1,400 solar panels power the Radiator Springs Racers attraction.

Across the Atlantic, Disneyland Paris completed Europe's largest solar canopy plant in late 2023, covering more than 11,200 guest parking spaces with over 80,000 panels and producing 36 GWh of electricity each year. Meanwhile, Shanghai Disney Resort has fitted solar panels across all applicable backstage rooftops and facades, generating approximately 5.2 GWh of clean electricity and reducing carbon emissions by more than 2,500 metric tons.

The solar canopy parking facility at Disneyland Paris. Video used courtesy of Disney

Disney’s Environmental Push

For Disney, the push toward solar is part of a broader environmental commitment it calls Disney Planet Possible. What's remarkable is the scale at which the company is executing on that vision. Powering a resort the size of a small city—with the operational demands of theme parks, hotels, and transportation running simultaneously—with solar energy is no small feat.

Since 1995, Disney Planet Possible has invested more than $140 million in sustainability initiatives, including renewable energy, wildlife conservation, and habitat preservation.