Universal’s Newest Theme Park Has a Floating Solar Farm, and It’s Already Being Used
Universal Epic Universe has thousands of solar panels floating on one of its retention ponds, and the system is already in use.
D3Energy said on October 6 that the 1.4-megawatt floating solar array was energized earlier this year. According to the company, it has 3,369 panels spread across about 2.5 acres of water.
The floating array is one of three solar installations at Epic Universe. Together, they produce 3.7 megawatts of power.
Some of that electricity is being used for Universal’s electric buses. The system stores energy collected during the day in batteries and uses it to charge the buses at night.
The panels float on a retention pond
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D3Energy installed them directly on a retention pond at the park. The pond is about 10 feet deep at its deepest point, and the solar island is anchored from the banks.
D3Energy handled the floating part of the project, while Qcells managed the larger solar program at Epic Universe.
The company says this is its second floating solar project for Universal Orlando.
The power helps charge Universal’s buses
Comcast says Universal built a new electric bus depot near Epic Universe with battery storage.
The batteries collect solar energy during the day. At night, that stored power helps charge the buses that carry guests between Universal’s parks. Each bus can run for more than 21 hours on a single charge, according to Comcast.
Epic Universe also has solar canopies over part of the VIP parking area. Across all three solar projects, Universal expects to generate more than 6.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
Universal already had floating solar in Orlando
Back in 2021, D3Energy built a smaller floating array at Universal Orlando’s main campus. That system has 645 panels and covers about half an acre of a retention pond. The older project produces about 249 kilowatts and is anchored to the pond bottom.
It also looks a little different from the one at Epic Universe. D3Energy used a special film over the panels to create a large Comcast logo on the surface.
