Six Flags Announces California’s Largest Solar Energy Project

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (Six Flags), the world’s largest regional theme park company and largest operator of water parks in North America, in partnership with Solar Optimum and DSD Renewables (DSD), announced the installation of a new 12.37-MW solar carport and energy storage system at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles. The project will rank as the largest single-site commercial renewable energy project in California and largest solar project allocated toward a for-profit organization in the United States.

“This is a thrilling day for Six Flags as we advance our commitment to environmental stewardship, substantially increasing solar power generation capacity at our parks,” said Jason Freeman, Six Flags vice president of operations, public safety, engineering, and maintenance. “Six Flags has placed a high priority on efforts to improve and protect the environment, leading the way for theme park companies around the world and capturing the attention of other private organizations that also have the power to drive solar projects. By partnering with experts like Solar Optimum and DSD Renewables, we can continue to improve our environmental programs with additional waste, water, and energy reduction targets and initiatives.”

Key Facts About The Six Flags Magic Mountain Solar Installation

• 12.37-MW solar carport built over the main guest parking lot
• Battery storage system producing 1.958 MW of power with 7886.3 kW hours of capacity that can be deployed daily
• Producing 20.8 million kWh hours of energy annually, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 2874 homes and 1.79 million smartphones charged
• Offset greenhouse gas emissions each year comparable to 34,194 barrels of oil consumed, 5110 tons (4636 tonnes) of waste recycled rather than landfilled, and 17,612 acres of US forests
• Will offset carbon dioxide equivalents each year comparable to taking 3182 cars off the road, 37.8 million miles (60.8 million km) driven by an average gasoline-powered automobile, and 1.6 million gallons (4.4 million liters) of gasoline consumed
• Producing 517.89 million kW hours of energy in a 25-year period, which offsets greenhouse gas energy consumption equivalent to 911 million miles (1466 million km) driven by gasoline-powered automobiles and the carbon sequestration equivalent to 434.3 thousand acres of trees planted
• The park will be able to offset 100% of its energy usage with solar power
• Become the largest single-site commercial solar energy project in California and largest for any for-profit organization in the world

In addition to the Six Flags Magic Mountain installation, two additional parks — Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Northern California and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey — have also developed onsite solar capabilities with more than 30 MW of fully-operational solar power systems installed. These three sites will rank as the largest volume of onsite Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for any US organization, with a combined total of 42.37 MW. “We’re honored to partner with Six Flags and Solar Optimum on this solar-plus-storage project through DSD’s developer network and commend Six Flags’ commitment to onsite renewables,” said Danielle Fidel, senior director for the developer network at DSD. “Using their parking lot for solar canopies will not only offset 100% of the park’s energy use, it will also provide the added benefit of shaded parking for customers. A win-win for everyone.”

“Six Flags is already an onsite renewables trailblazer, and with this project, they will continue to break records,” said Arno Aghamalian, Solar Optimum CEO and founder. “We are proud of the partnership we have helped establish between DSD, Six Flags, and Solar Optimum, as we add to their portfolio of sites and work to offset all their loads with solar and batteries. As utility prices inevitably increase, these projects reduce costs, decrease carbon footprint, and ultimately provide more value to the customer with much desired shade. The future of solar has never looked brighter, and we’re excited to lead the change with our trusted partners.”