popowics.natalie+Cincinnati+Zoo+Solar+Array

Recently, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden put up a 6,400 panel solar array over the Vine Street parking lot. This is approximately the size of four football fields. The project provides 20% of the zoo’s annually needed electric power. On especially sunny days, surplus energy is produced and sent back to the local utility. This $11 million dollar project was financed entirely by private investors, tax credits and other organizations. The zoo is slowly paying them back 10 cents per kilowatt hour, which is about what they would pay for electricity from the local utility. The project will pay for itself in its lifetime, though.