News and Stories

Cincinnati Zoo’s Community Solar Program Empowers Local Leaders to Reach Their Sustainability Goals 

Solar arrays over our parking lots and on buildings within the Zoo currently meet 60% of our annual electricity needs, but we don’t want to stop there. We hope to reach 100% fulfillment on campus by 2030. And, while we add to our capacity, we will continue to deploy as much solar as possible in the community.

The Zoo’s Community Solar Program works with local nonprofits, schools, churches, and permanent supportive housing facilities to strengthen their energy and financial resiliency through solar power. Neighborhoods like Price Hill are in high-poverty zip codes and can greatly benefit from the reduced utility cost solar power provides.  With renewable energy helping to minimize their operating costs, organizations like Horses on the Hill (HOTH) have more capacity to do what they do best.

Horses on the Hill: Solar for Growth and Impact

HOTH is a Price Hill nonprofit combining equine therapy, urban farming, and horticulture to serve the community. In 2024, the Zoo Community Solar Resiliency Program (CSRP) coordinated the install of a 16 kW rooftop solar array for them, cutting their electric bills to zero over summer months and saving thousands annually.

“We have not had to pay an electric bill in four months.”
— Horses on the Hill

HOTH also runs a Farm to Table program with Feed the Soul, fighting food insecurity in Price Hill—a neighborhood with limited access to fresh food. Their goals:

• Increase local food production
• Provide workforce development
• Protect the environment

HOTH’s community garden, which supports their Farm to Table program, relied on manual watering for 20 hours a week. With a design from Dan Divelbiss of North Hadrian LLC, we installed an off-grid solar-powered irrigation system covering 1,500 sq ft (24 raised beds + orchard rows).

Dan Divelbiss is a trusted Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Partner. Dan has years of experience in solar projects with small sensors and irrigation systems for farms as well as remote water treatment. Dan’s skills are crucial as energy prices continue to rise, and rainfall continues to become more frequent.

He is looking forward to seeing more projects like this one, locally and globally.

How It Works: The off-grid solar irrigation system uses panels to power a water pump, delivering water directly to the garden beds without relying on the grid.

This project shows how solar power can uplift communities—reducing costs, increasing food access, and creating resilience. Cincinnati Zoo is proud to enable more effective, community-driven solutions.