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consumption from 15 to 25 percent, providing hot water to all our
guest rooms, swimming pools, and service areas,” says Sasa
Milojevic, vice president of operations for Karisma Hotels & Resorts.
Solar panels also illuminate the company’s 80,730-square-foot
(7,500 square meters) hydroponic greenhouse on the grounds of
El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort by Karisma. The Rainforest Alliance–
certified greenhouse and adjacent 3.7-acre (1.5 hectares) orchard
deliver organic herbs, vegetables, and fruits directly to the kitchens and
spas of Karisma’s Riviera Maya resorts each month.
New Path to Customer Satisfaction
“By being more efficient in the operation of our properties, all our
efforts, time, and resources are focused on our guest experience, gen-
erating a direct return on investment, which is reflected by our guest
satisfaction,” Milojevic says. “We see on our social media and by return
customers that this is something very important for them.”
A 2013 survey of 1,300 U.S. travelers by TripAdvisor revealed that
while 62 percent of the respondents often or always considered the
environment when choosing hotels, 64 percent reported that they rarely
or never felt informed about whether hotels were truly eco-friendly.
TripAdvisor remedied that by recognizing TripAdvisor GreenLeaders.
The program was developed in partnership with Energy Star, the U.S.
Green Building Council, and the United Nations Environment Program
to award thousands of U.S. hotels bronze to platinum badges based on
environmental practices, including the use of energy-efficient
appliances, solar panels, and electric-car charging stations. Other
booking sites, including Travelocity and Hotels.com, also enable users
to search for green properties.
The Case for Solar
When it comes to renewable energy generated by sunlight, wind, water,
geothermal heat, and organic materials, solar is often the logical first
choice for hotels and resorts. Solar power can be more abundant
and consistent than wind. It is quiet, relatively inconspicuous, and easy
to maintain. Today’s more durable panels can stand up to hurricane-
force winds, and are efficient in hot and cool climates. In fact, Germany,
which shares the same latitude as Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, was
Europe’s top solar producer in 2014.
Best of all, installing solar panels has gotten less expensive, espe-
cially with federal, state, and local incentives such as tax credits,
rebates, and free-interest loans. The Solar Industries Association
reported the average price of a completed commercial photovoltaic
project in the second quarter of 2014 had dropped more than 45 per-
cent since 2012. Most systems have a 25-year manufacturer’s guaran-
tee. Utility-grade panels used in community power arrays last twice as
long. And while payback periods vary according to the climate, site,
local energy rates, and available financial incentives, the savings and
environmental impact are immediate.
Breckenridge Grand Vacations spent just over US$1 million on its
1,151-panel system. After the company breaks even, the solar panels
are expected to save almost US$1 million over 20 years.
A Bright Future
“In 1977, a solar panel cost about US$77 a watt, and today we’re under
a dollar a watt. That is a dramatic reduction,” says Roger Sherman,
managing partner of Ecocentro Solar Cancún & Riviera Maya, serving
Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. “I have clients who say, ‘I’m going to wait
until it comes down again.’ My argument to them today is, ‘How long do
you want to wait? A year? Because, this is how much you’re going to
save in the next year.’ As a resort developer, you can’t be focusing on
immediate gratification — you have to be thinking long-term.”
The promise of enhanced storage capability promises quicker
paybacks. In 2015, Tesla Motors introduced the Powerpack, a utility-
scale rechargeable lithium ion battery adapted from the technology
used in its electric cars that is designed to store energy for off-grid and
supplemental power systems. Multiple units can be connected to
create a capacity for 10 megawatt hours (MWh).
The sun’s energy can also be used to develop other products.
Sherman’s company plans to distribute products that disinfect drinking
and swimming pool water using the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.
“What happens, in our experience, is pools get overdosed with
chlorine, because the pool guys prefer to err on the side of caution,”
Sherman says. The UV-based system continually tests the water,
administering chemicals only when needed. As a result, the use of
chlorine — which studies have shown to be as toxic as secondhand
smoke — can be reduced up to 80 percent.”
First Steps
“One of the misconceptions about solar and other renewables is that
you have to switch over completely, so that renewables cover 100
percent of your needs,” Sherman says. “In most cases, that’s not only
not recommended, it’s not practical.” He recommends identifying key
projects, focusing on areas where reducing energy consumption would
have the most overall impact.
The first step may be to not over-think it.
“Although sometimes the use of renewable energy is something
that requires a lot of technology or investment, we have discovered in
the last few years that we can start using solar energy in the most sim-
ple way possible,” Milojevic says. “You can just change the orientation
of the architecture and design open spaces, illuminated by natural
sunlight with natural ventilation.” New builds can be designed with
south-facing windows and building materials that absorb and slowly
release the sun’s heat.
“Renewable energy does get a lot of attention, because it’s sexy —
and it should. It’s very important,” Hoover says. “But, when you look at
the overall impact, measures taken to improve energy efficiency are just
as important as renewables. They often have a faster return on
investment and they are designed to reduce the amount of energy
used by a building.”
The Big Picture
Indeed, experts say, solar should be just one component of a much
broader, big-picture approach to sustainability that balances renewable
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A recent study found that commercial buildings that regularly benchmarked
their energy performance with EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool
cut their energy bills by 7 percent over three years.