Commercial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  November 6, 2018

L.A. retail mall premieres solar array

The Westfield Topanga & The Village, a leading retail destination in California’s San Fernando Valley, now features more than 4 megawatts of solar capacity from nearly 15,000 panels, projected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 4,900 metric tons in its first year of operation.

A report by Solar Power World noted that the solar array was installed in three phases beginning in 2012 in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Safari Energy managed the overall system design, permitting, and construction. The Westfield Topanga & The Village retail center features more than 360 stores, restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues.

“We are incredibly proud that California’s largest solar panel array at a retail center is now located at Westfield Topanga & The Village,” said Larry Green, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s EVP of development. “This milestone once again underscores our company’s unwavering commitment to sustainable development and to creating better places for the communities we serve.”

The overall focus on sustainability at Westfield Topanga & The Village is a part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s global environmental sustainability initiative, called “Better Places 2030.”  The initiative calls for a 50% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030 globally, from a 2015 baseline. The commitment includes direct emissions, indirect emissions generated from construction, tenant energy consumption and other property operations, as well as employee and visitor transportation.

According to the report, by 2019, Westfield Topanga & The Village will achieve a 30% reduction in electric energy consumption as a result of its solar and other sustainability initiatives, including interior and exterior LED lighting retrofits, skylight tinting, the installation of electric vehicle charging stations, the integration of new chilled water coils, as well as efficient lighting and chiller control systems.