Roller coaster, shows, floats and light parades, heating of aquatic complexes, etc. The list of energy costs in amusement parks is endless and almost everyone expects huge bills in 2023. Park owners and managers are organizing themselves, according to their means, even if all claim not to have waited for the tariff boom to address this crucial issue, “driven above all” by environmental considerations.
Europa Park in Germany, near the Rhine and the border with Alsace and Switzerland, already operates photovoltaic installations, hydroelectric power stations and cogeneration units but wishes to move up a gear. Especially on the side of renewable energies. The park, which has exceeded six million visitors this year, has decided to join forces with “the German automotive logistics specialist Mosolf”, to invest in a photovoltaic installation of more than 20 hectares and for “a cost of 30 million euros. euros”, explains Roland Mack. And the owner, who hopes to be commissioned in 2024, explains: “Once installed, the complex will produce approximately 25 gigawatt hours of electricity. In the long term, Europa-Park will be able to supply itself with renewable electricity independently of other energy sources, especially during the summer. »
Geothermal energy and photovoltaic shade houses
For its part, the mastodon Disneyland Paris already, last April, commissioned the first phase of its photovoltaic shade plant. The figures for this installation, one of the largest in Europe, are crazy: 82,000 solar panels in the long term to produce the equivalent of 17% of its energy consumption, or that of a city of 17,400 inhabitants. Since 2018, the Paris park has also relied on geothermal energy, which covers 18% of its heating needs.
On the side of Poitiers, at Futuroscope, we are also working on the installation of photovoltaic shades in all car parks. “The objective is to be self-consumption on photovoltaic production, in particular to supply the thermofrigo-pumps, or even the attractions, explains Thierry Pirodeau, Futuroscope maintenance development director, in charge of energy and environment files. The park, which has been ISO 5001 certified for six years now, began by “investing in the supervision and metering of the type of energy, by building, to know very precisely” its consumption and its way of operating the area. “We had a precise idea of our operating model, which made it possible, right from the crisis, to reduce our consumption efficiently, by around 14%,” explains Thierry Pirodeau.
From 2018, Futuroscope has also invested in geothermal thermo-fridge pumps, which can produce hot and cold while committing to buy certified green electricity to power them. Necessary investments, according to Thierry Pirodeau, while the park plans to expand in 2025. A project worth more than 300 million euros which includes the creation of two hotels, new attractions and a water park. “If the park currently has a consumption of around 19 gigawatts, this will rise to 35, confides Thierry Pirodeau to 20 minutes. The photovoltaic carports should produce around 21, of which 16 will be used for self-consumption. We will thus fall back on our current consumption, which will neutralize this project on the consumption side. »
As for the most electricity produced, the park is studying the possibility of resale to the network or storage, if this is economically feasible, in batteries. However, this surplus could also be used to produce green hydrogen. Note that Futuroscope also intends to rely on a biomass boiler by 2024 with a local supply of wood.
Reduce the speed of attractions
An investment force that cannot be matched by medium-sized parks, which have nevertheless taken measures accordingly. On the program: general use of LEDs, staff awareness, insulation of premises, lower heating, etc. At Nigloland, Rodolphe Gélis explains that he is currently carrying out a carbon assessment to find out the surface area of photovoltaic shade structures needed, on the car parks, but also on the roofs of the buildings in the park. The director of the park located in Aube also plans to produce heating via geothermal energy for his new hotel, the construction of which will begin in April.
In the meantime, Rodolphe Gélis has already identified the most energy-intensive positions. That is the machines which represent for Nigloland approximately 30% of its consumption. “When you send a 15-tonne train every thirty seconds 100 meters high for hours, the note is salty. We therefore decided to reduce the speed of the attractions by 10%, which represents almost 25% less energy consumption. Multiplied by 40 attractions, twice a minute, for 155 days of operation, that’s already huge savings to begin with! “, welcomes Rodolphe Gélis. Other energy-consuming items identified, equipment in restaurants (fryers, ovens, etc.). “There is often preheating in the morning, confides the director. We will therefore, depending on the number of people, start them one to two hours later and close certain catering outlets earlier in the day to avoid running this equipment empty. »
Rodolphe Gélis acknowledges having been able to “renegotiate his contract in 2022” with his electricity supplier. “I don’t know if it’s a miracle or not, but we were able to benefit from the tariffs we had in 2019. But this is due to the seasonality of our activity, because we consume energy when France is in uses the least”, says the director of Nigloland. The Aube park is attractive from April to October, while its big competitors are active all year round, and “especially at Christmas, when we should finally consume less”, underlines Rodolphe Gélis who concludes: “when you don’t have great means, you have ideas”.