SPRINGFIELD – You may not notice the latest addition to MGM Springfield because it’s on the eighth floor of the casino’s parking garage.

A trip to the top floor not only provides a great view, but soon a solar canopy that covers most of the floor will be generating electricity.

Jason Rosewell, the vice president for facilities at the casino, explained to Reminder Publishing the solar canopy had been in the plans all along and the parking garage was designed and built to carry the additional weight load.

“We always knew we wanted to do it,” he said.

The solar array should be on-line early in 2020, he added.

In May 2019, MGM Springfield was awarded with the world’s first United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) New Construction Platinum level certification for a casino resort.

This solar array is expected to generate more than 1,600 megawatt hours of electricity, helping reduce the property’s annual carbon footprint by approximately 410 metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent).

The design of the canopy has not eliminated any parking space, Rosewell added.

The solar facility is part of the company’s overall effort to be energy efficient and sustainable. Among other innovations are:

• The company used interior finishes such as paints, sealants, coatings, adhesives, carpeting, and composite wood products with low or no volatile organic chemicals and free of urea-formaldehyde, helping to create healthier spaces for guests and employees.
• MGM created a rainwater harvesting system and underground cistern to capture, store and treat rainwater onsite, allowing 100 percent of water for landscaping to come from this source.
• The company diverted more than 95 percent of construction and demolition waste by weight, from landfills during construction.

Rosewell said the company has placed an emphasis of “bettering the community in which we operate.”