Lancaster hotel converted into first 100 percent solar-powered Marriott-branded property in US

High Hotels Ltd., a Lancaster-based hotel developer, owner, and operator, recently completed a 135,200-square-foot solar installation that will provide 100 percent of the electricity needs of the Courtyard by Marriott-Lancaster.

The Courtyard by Marriott-Lancaster is the first Marriott-branded hotel in the United States to have 100 percent of its electricity needs met with solar power. High Hotels believes the solar array is the first in the country to be installed for the sole purpose of generating 100 percent of the electricity needs of a hotel.

The solar array consists of 2,700-panels and generates 1,239,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity for the hotel, which consumes approximately 1,177,000 kWh. Excess power will be sold to the utility.

The project includes a real-time meter display located in the hotel lobby that shows the solar power produced by the project.

“Our guests now have the satisfaction of knowing that they are staying in a hotel that’s fully powered by the sun,” Russ Urban, president of High Hotels, said. “As a company, we’re strong believers in environmental stewardship, and taking this step into renewables aligns with the interests of a growing segment of the traveling public.”

Due to its size, the solar array is located on the roof of a warehouse about half a mile from the hotel. Both the hotel and warehouse are located in the 600-acre Greenfield Corporate Center, which is owned by High Properties.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) awarded High Hotels a grant of $504,900 through the Solar Energy Program to complete the project.