Massanutten Resort preparing to build solar farm

MASSANUTTEN, Va. (WHSV) - Massanutten Resort is gearing up for a big renewable energy project. The resort is planning to create a solar farm on the land behind its popular water park.

The nearly 4-acre solar farm would be just the latest step in the resort’s efforts to be more environmentally friendly.

“We’re always looking for ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint and if it makes sense financially and for our community and for our company, then we’re gonna do it. We’re here for the long haul and we’re certainly not gonna go anywhere,” said Kenny Hess, Massanutten’s Director of Sports and Risk Management.

When it’s complete the solar farm will generate nearly 2 million kilowatt-hours of power per year and account for 50 percent of the water park’s electricity.

“It’s a substantial investment that we’re looking at and it’s a fairly long-term investment. It’s not anything where we’re looking to get our money back in the next year or two years, it’s more of a far-reaching goal of reducing our carbon footprint and becoming more efficient,” said Hess.

The resort will also be installing rooftop solar arrays on two of its largest buildings as part of its continued focus on energy efficiency.

“This is obviously a big step for the three different projects along with the snowmaking efficiencies that we’ve done,” said Hess.

The proposed solar farm is on property located at Adventure Drive, near Bloomer Springs Road and Resort Drive. The property is included in two different plans, so the resort is requesting a combination of those two plans which will be heard by the county planning commission May 3.

Once all three of the resort’s solar installations are up and running, it will look to add more renewable energy in the future.

“We’ll be looking at that very hard to see where we can add solar or other energy sources along the same lines,” said Hess.

Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.