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The Las Vegas Strip, home to amusement parks, luxurious shopping malls, and a variety of casinos and hotels, is now the proud possessor of the largest solar array in the United States.
MGM Resorts International announced on Wednesday that its estimated 26,000 solar panels (spanning 28 acres) have now set a record as the largest rooftop array in the nation. The exciting achievement comes after the resort expanded upon their previous rooftop solar array, comprised of 21,000 solar panels taking up 20 acres. At full production, the resort’s system will now provide Mandalay Bay 25 percent of its energy.
MGM has always been an active participant in the push for clean energy and increasingly has become a key player in the debates over Nevada’s energy policy. For instance, they’ve contributed $10,000 to the Energy Choice Initiative ballot that would end NV Energy’s monopoly over the power supply, and the company plans to pay around $8 million to leave NV Energy’s service this October and instead purchase power from an alternative provider.
“The expansion of our rooftop solar installation at Mandalay Bay significantly advances our resort’s commitment to being a leading sustainable destination for conferences and conventions” says Chuck Bowling, Mandalay Bay’s president and chief operating officer, in a media release. “Utilizing energy produced from a renewable resource is a cornerstone of our comprehensive strategy of sustainable operations.”
The system, which was first unveiled in 2014, has helped MGM Resorts stabilize electricity prices and reduce the amount of energy they pulls from the grid during times of high demand. The 8.3 megawatt solar array will produce enough electricity to power 1,340 U.S. homes for one year and offset enough carbon to take more than 1,700 cars off the road. According to Greentech Media, which researches the renewable energy market, the system is the largest in the nation.
Craig Cornelius, a senior vice president at NRG Energy, notes that “companies like MGM Resorts are driving an evolution in America’s energy mix as they seek cleaner sources of power that provide more certainty over energy costs. The solar array atop Mandalay Bay is stunning in its scope and functionality.” MGM Resorts is an obvious clean energy pioneer and has already inspired several other casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip, including Wynn Resorts, to start looking into alternative energy sources.
Here at Superior Solar, we couldn’t be more pleased to see this kind of clean energy initiative. Want to take a trip to Vegas to see the solar array yourself? Why not invest in a solar system and use the savings you start getting on day one to fund your trip? Call us at 407.331.9077 or contact us online to see what we can do for you.
