GHG Emissions, Commercial, Solar  -  October 28, 2024

Cincinnati Zoo Completes Solar Carport

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden completed construction of a solar carport supporting its 2025 net zero goal.

Constructed by Terrasmart, the renewable energy arm of Gibraltar Industries, and Melink Solar, a commercial solar engineering, procurement, and construction company (EPC), the photovoltaic (PV) parking canopy will produce 2.8 megawatts.

Terrasmart designed and manufactured the project's racking system and performed the mechanical installation in partnership with lead EPC Melink Solar. With this solar carport, the zoo's 4.55 megawatts total of on-site solar capacity meets two-thirds of its power needs and supports its goal to be net zero by 2025.

The system integrated nearly 5,000 bifacial modules connected via string inverter technology and will provide shade for about 800 vehicles as it eliminates 1,775 tons of CO2 emissions. According to zoo officials, the solar systems collectively will reduce the facility's annual power bill to around $300,000 by 2030 to 2032, down from $1.6 million in 2005.

"Solar technology, and our understanding of how to use it, has evolved dramatically since we erected our first solar array in 2006 on the Zoo's education building," states Mark Fisher, Vice President of Facilities, Planning, and Sustainability for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, in a statement. "This new array is a good example of that. It occupies less physical space but will generate almost twice as much power as the current array. Now online, two-thirds of the Zoo's electrical needs will come from our parking lots."

To help offset energy poverty in the neighborhood, the zoo also has financed an additional 165 kilowatts of solar panels through its Community Solar Resiliency Program to support smaller installations at local churches, community centers, and schools.