Picture this. You just finished a day at Aquatica and have ridden all the thrill rides Sea World San Antonio has to offer, but as the day winds down, the scorching temperatures and damp clothes leaves this trek back to the car less to be desired. Enter covered parking.

Whale-sized impact

Really? That's what this is about? An awning? Yes but, also no. Sea World San Antonio is taking a sustainable approach to covered parking by incorporating solar panel arrays on its roof. This will help to:

Offset energy costs
Decrease its carbon emissions
Be more environmentally responsible

The covered parking will be located in its VIP parking section that's home to 1,200 vehicle spaces. Construction is underway and will be completed by its April 2024 opening date. The best part? The solar canopy will power 16% of Sea World’s electricity usage.

Construction crews will work in phases installing the canopy. | Photo by Sea World Parks & Entertainment

San Antonio examples

Converting parking lots into covered solar farms is a concept reaching popularity because it offsets carbon emissions and decreases the urban heat island effect.

Aside from Sea World's parking lot, there are other projects in the Alamo City that have embraced this sustainable concept:

La Hacienda de Los Barrios: 52 solar-covered parking spaces saving the restaurant $25,000 in annual energy costs.
Cuisine Solutions, Inc: 60% of its near 500-space parking lot is covered in solar canopies.
Viola’s Ventanas: 58 solar-covered parking spaces saving the restaurant $30,000 in annual energy costs.
CPS Energy: 18,000 solar panels installed across covered canopies in 2019 alone.

With that being said, aren't you just glad that your next trip to Sea World doesn't have to end with you burning your hands on the steering wheel?