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Euclid Ave. array will generate enough energy annually to power about 330 homes

CINCINNATI (September 5, 2024) – The 2.8 MW solar array that Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and Melink Solar started building earlier this year is now up and running!  In addition to providing shade for cars and buses in the Zoo’s Euclid Ave parking, it is expected to generate enough energy to power about 330 homes annually and will reduce carbon emissions by about 1,284 MTCO2e (metric tons of CO2 equivalent) per year.

                “We partnered with Melink Solar in 2011 to install a 1.56 MW solar array over our Vine St. parking lot,” said Mark Fisher, Cincinnati Zoo’s VP of facilities and sustainability. “This array is roughly the same size but produces about twice the power due to advances in solar panel technology. With both arrays online, about 2/3 of the electricity for the entire campus is coming from our parking lots.”

The win-win-wins continue to multiply when you look at the financial savings this solar investment represents. The Zoo will save about $300,000 on its electric bill next year alone.

“Sharing our success is also important to us,” said Fisher.  “We’re showing people how it can be done, and they see that every time they drive by the Zoo or park here, and also making it happen for some members of our community.”

Extra solar panels from the project were donated to the Zoo’s Community Solar Resiliency Program (CSRP) so the Zoo’s sustainability team can continue solar installations on community centers, schools, and churches in underserved areas of Cincinnati. The most recent CSRP project was installed at Lydia’s House earlier this summer, and another for Horses on the Hill is planned for this fall.

“We love that the Zoo’s solar arrays are very visible to the community and that they’re sharing a lot of the solar love with communities in need as well,” said Monica Niehaus, business development manager for Melink Solar.

The array project is complete, but the Zoo is still working with Melink Solar on a pilot program to recycle broken panels.  Both are invested in the full life cycle of solar panels, from start to finish. 

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. daily. Visit CincinnatiZoo.org to plan a visit or to learn more about the Zoo’s commitment to sustainability.