Atlantic City's nightlife has a new flavor: solar power.
DSD Renewables announced on Oct. 11 that it had installed four solar canopies at two Caesars Entertainment properties in the New Jersey coastal enclave.
The arrays will produce about 8.3 megawatt-hours yearly for Caesars Atlantic City and Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, and a rooftop solar project will be added at Harrah's Waterfront Conference Center in 2024.
Caesars is one of Atlantic City Electric's biggest consumers, and the solar portfolio will account for 6% of its energy needs.
DSD stated that the clean energy will displace 8,144 tons of carbon pollution annually, which it said is equal to removing almost 1,600 gas-powered cars from the road or planting over 122,000 trees.
"The question is why don't they do this in Las Vegas with endless days of sun," one commenter on an Electrek article said.
In 2016, Caesars filed to stop buying power from NV Energy, following three other major casino groups, per Smart Energy Decisions. It paid $47.5 million to make the switch and get at least 20% of its power from renewable sources, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
In 2021, MGM Resorts International activated a 100-megawatt solar facility in Nevada that produces 35% of the power for its 13 Las Vegas Strip properties.
As recently as last year, Caesars and DSD were exploring solar projects in Nevada, California, Illinois, and Maryland. Caesars has pledged to produce zero heat-trapping gases by 2050.
The Atlantic City project wasn't as quick as a one-day residential installation, but it didn't take too long, relatively. The groundbreaking was held in April 2022, and the project was completed in October 2023.
Beyond energy, the panels are expected to offer other benefits as well. The canopies will help reduce the cost of snow removal and provide shaded parking, while the system atop Harrah's Resort will reduce the building's cooling needs and extend the lifespan of its roof by limiting UV exposure.
When construction began, the installations were projected to generate over 10.4 million kWh of clean, renewable energy yearly.
"Just imagine how much energy the whole USA can produce and save in burning fossils if every bigger commercial lot and roof tops would be covered ( walmarts, targets, home depots, lowes, kroger and other retail chains ? )," one commenter on the Electrek article wrote. "The USA could [save] so much at the day time we dont even need fossil imports anymore and can be fossil need independent."
Another replied: "Warehouses and distribution centers have huge flat roofs and are also perfect targets for solar."
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