Green

Green Initiatives

In keeping with its commitment to transform UTC into one of the greenest shopping centers in the country, Westfield UTC powered up the first major solar photovoltaic array on a regional shopping center in San Diego County in December 2008.

The solar rooftop project is part of the enhanced green program for the New UTC, the $900 million planned revitalization approved by the City Council in July 2008.

SPG Solar installed the 100-kilowatt solar array, developed in partnership with Resource Energy Systems, with modules produced by Sharp. The array provides approximately 50 percent of the power requirements for the common areas of the mall’s ice rink and food court. Generating this power through renewable photovoltaics (PV) will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 250,000 pounds per year, which is like planting more than 30 acres of trees.

The New UTC is one of the first projects in the country to achieve Gold-level approval from the U.S. Green Building Council under its pilot LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Neighborhood Development) program. Also planned for Westfield UTC are solar PV arrays on top of new parking structures and potentially more on the retail rooftops. In conjunction with many other energy-efficiency measures, innovative water conservation strategies, alternative transportation choices, waste reduction and sustainable construction techniques, the New UTC revitalization will set a high standard for green development in San Diego and the shopping center industry nationwide.