The greenest of them all: Westfield Topanga unveils new solar project
This week, Westfield Topanga & The Village unveiled its new 9,000 solar panel array, positioning itself among the most environmentally-conscious shopping destinations in the United-States.
Installed in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Westfield Topanga & The Village’s solar power system now encompasses nearly 15,000 panels in all, and boasts a total capacity of over 4 megawatts (MW) – the largest at any retail centre in the State of California.
Combined, the solar arrays at Westfield Topanga & the Village can now generate more than 6.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean, renewable energy – or an amount sufficient to power 730 average-sized family homes on an annual basis. In addition, the panels are projected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 4,900 metric tons in the first year alone – equivalent to taking more than 1,000 cars off the road – or to the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed by nearly 5,800 acres of tree-packed forests*.
The solar project is the latest in a series of sustainability initiatives making Westfield Topanga & The Village one of the ‘greenest’ shopping centres in the US. By 2019, the shopping centre will already have achieved an impressive 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.
The overall focus on sustainability at Westfield Topanga & The Village is a part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Better Places 2030 strategy.
In addition to the new solar array at Westfield Topanga & The Village, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield now has solar energy systems at six California shopping destinations including Westfield Century City, Culver City, and Fashion Square in Los Angeles, Westfield UTC in San Diego, and Westfield Valley Fair in Silicon Valley.
Installed in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Westfield Topanga & The Village’s solar power system now encompasses nearly 15,000 panels in all, and boasts a total capacity of over 4 megawatts (MW) – the largest at any retail centre in the State of California.
Combined, the solar arrays at Westfield Topanga & the Village can now generate more than 6.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean, renewable energy – or an amount sufficient to power 730 average-sized family homes on an annual basis. In addition, the panels are projected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 4,900 metric tons in the first year alone – equivalent to taking more than 1,000 cars off the road – or to the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed by nearly 5,800 acres of tree-packed forests*.
The solar project is the latest in a series of sustainability initiatives making Westfield Topanga & The Village one of the ‘greenest’ shopping centres in the US. By 2019, the shopping centre will already have achieved an impressive 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.
The overall focus on sustainability at Westfield Topanga & The Village is a part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Better Places 2030 strategy.
In addition to the new solar array at Westfield Topanga & The Village, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield now has solar energy systems at six California shopping destinations including Westfield Century City, Culver City, and Fashion Square in Los Angeles, Westfield UTC in San Diego, and Westfield Valley Fair in Silicon Valley.
* All emissions equivalences sourced from: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
