Volume 1, No. 7. May 4, 2001
More power to them
As the California electric crisis continues into the summer, Paramount’s Great America in Santa Clara has learned that decreased power equates to increased profits.
By entering into an agreement with the local utility, Silicon Valley Power, to cut its usage by 10 percent on high-demand days, the theme park discovered that several power-saving practices were also cost-cutting measures. Meanwhile, Great America earned public relations kudos and got a new highway sign, as well.
Paramount’s Great America is one of 18 local companies who joined the voluntary power usage reduction program, which allows the company itself to choose how to meet the 10 percent goal. The utility measured the kilowatt requirements of individual attractions and placed a series of meters throughout the park to monitor electrical usage during 15-minute intervals. So, now that Paramount management knows the in-park waterways feeding the fountains use 104 kilowatts, shutting them off can account for 20 percent of the total reduction goal.
"It allows us the flexibility, depending on event areas we are using and what’s happening in the park today, to control and conserve power," said the park’s General Manager Gayle Ando. The program also helped the park form long-term energy conservation measures. "We saw some inefficiencies we had," Ando said, such as running air conditioners continuously in the theaters and catering areas even when the park was closed. Meanwhile, Great America is engaging in other conservation efforts among its staff, such as setting air conditioner thermostats higher and shutting off computers and lights when leaving the office.
By entering the program, Paramount’s Great America was able to keep rides open for the public instead of risking the utility arbitrarily cutting power to those grids during rollbacks. This answered a growing concern among guests. The park also videotaped the ride metering to use for its physics, math and science days.
Area school kids wouldn’t be the only ones to learn from the experience. Ando learned that the attraction gobbling up the most kilowatts is the Rip Roaring Rapids raft ride. "You have big pumps to move that water and create all that excitement." On the other hand, the big signature attractions, the coasters, were relative lightweights on the power grid. After all, Silicon Valley Power doesn’t supply gravity. "We were afraid we’d have to take down a major attraction," Ando said, until the metering results came in. "When you realize it’s only powered as it goes up the lift hill, it starts to make sense."
Then there’s the huge letter-turning promotional sign next to the freeway in front of the park. Great America officials had sought permission from the city government to erect a new state-of-the art video display. "We thought it was never going to get through," Ando said of the request, until the park discovered the new sign would be more energy efficient than the current sign. "We touted it as an energy-saving move," Ando said. The new sign will be erected this summer.
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