Choosing the movie theater at which to see that new, Oscar-worthy, Ashton Kutcher opus formerly involved considerations like proximity, cushy seats, big screens and quality of the popcorn. Now you’ll have a new variable to consider when shelling out your cinema-going cash, sustainability. Livermore Cinemas in Livermore California has installed an 18,000 square foot solar array on the roof of its theater complex. The new solar installation will potentially provide 35% of the theater’s energy needs and cut its electric bill by 45%. The system will provide about 190,000 kilowatt hours of electricity over the course of a year. The solar cells have already been operational for about two months.
I don’t believe the energy savings will effect the price of tickets.
photo credit: solyndra.com
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If people wanted to be absolutely green in their entertainment choices, they could walk to a park and watch some outdoor live theater. The last time I did that, there were mosquitos. Solar powered movie screens seem like a cool idea.
Your post has me wondering whether going to see a movie in a full theater is ‘greener’ than watching a DVD at home. I would love to see the numbers.
Is watching a movie at home greener than watching it at a movie theater? My first take is that if they made better films theaters would tend to be filled and the economies of scale might tilt toward the group experience. Also to be considered is the energy consumption of all those individual home entertainment systems and whether the dvd arrives at your door via Netflix (air freight) or you drive to pick it up from Blockbuster…hmmm…
It’s all about the Palm Theater in San Luis Obispo, Ca., the first and best solar powered movie theater.
I can’t see why more major companies can’t do this. Think of all the empty rooftop space that goes begging, especially in the middle of our cities.
Movie theaters serve a lot of people at one time especially on weekends. This is a great idea. The theater should be more vocal and say that they are powered by solar. Maybe those people would consider putting solar panels in their home.
shannon