Massanutten Resort to install two large solar arrays

MASSANUTTEN, Va. (WHSV) - Massanutten Resort is making efforts to become more energy efficient.

The resort will soon be adding solar panel arrays to the roofs of two of its largest buildings.

The panels will be installed on the resort’s Woodstone Check-in building and its housekeeping department’s laundry facility. They will produce over 354,000-kilowatt hours of power annually.

“The energy reduction in this building (Woodstone) will be 15% of our total usage will come from the solar panels. The bigger facility and the bigger installation will be down at our laundry and that will reduce our total usage by 50 plus percent,” said Kenny Hess, Massanutten’s director of sports & risk management.

The project is part of the resort’s larger efforts to go green and reduce its carbon footprint.

“If this is successful then we’ll look at other places where we can continue to do this. We have used wind energy credits in the past and things like that. We’ve purchased low-energy snow-making equipment. We’re always looking to reduce the carbon footprint,” said Hess.

The design and engineering work for the arrays is being done by Secure Futures LLC in Staunton.

Kenny Hess says becoming more environmentally-friendly is very important to the resort.

“It’s extremely important just from an energy point and it’s the right thing to do to help reduce greenhouse gases and become as eco-neutral as we can be for our guests and for our future,” he said.

The goal is to have the panels up and running by early fall.

The resort is also looking to build a ground solar array adjacent to its water park pending approval from Rockingham County. That array would produce over 1.9 million kilowatt-hours of power.

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