California mall adds 9,000 solar panels

The property, which comprises an enclosed mall with an open-air lifestyle component, recently added a 9,000-solar-panel array above multiple parking decks, bringing the property’s total number of solar panels to 15,000.

Installed in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in three phases since 2012, Westfield Topanga & The Village’s solar power system now boasts a total capacity of over 4 megawatts, the largest at any shopping center or retail destination in California.

“We are incredibly proud that California’s largest solar panel array at a retail center is now located at Westfield Topanga & The Village,” said Larry Green, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s executive vice president of development. “This milestone once again underscores our company’s unwavering commitment to sustainable development and to creating better places for the communities we serve.”

Combined, the solar arrays at Westfield Topanga & The Village can now generate some 6.6 gigawatt hours of clean, renewable energy — sufficient to power 730 average-size family homes annually. In addition, the panels are projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 4,900 metric tons in the first year alone — equivalent to taking about 1,000 cars off the road, or to the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed by nearly 5,800 acres of forests.

“In order for us to continue to be a leader on climate and environmental issues, Los Angeles needs companies to do their part, follow Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s direction and go green,” said Bob Blumenfield, a member of the Los Angeles City Council. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and other private-sector partners to support opportunities for renewable energy in my district and throughout Los Angeles.”

The overall focus on sustainability at Westfield Topanga & The Village is part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Better Places 2030 global environmental sustainability initiative. The company has committed to achieving a 50 percent reduction of its carbon emissions globally by 2030, in comparison with 2015 levels, marking the first time a listed retail real estate company has launched a strategy of this scope and scale to reduce carbon emissions. 

By 2019 Westfield Topanga & The Village will already have achieved an impressive 30 percent reduction in electric-energy consumption as a result of its solar and other sustainability initiatives, including interior and exterior LED lighting retrofits, skylight tinting, the installation of electric-vehicle charging stations, the integration of new chilled-water coils and efficient lighting and chiller-control systems. 

“Investing in sustainable energy infrastructure is just one more example of our longstanding legacy of commitment to the Warner Center business district, the San Fernando Valley and the entire Los Angeles region,” said Molly Unger, vice president and general manager of Westfield Topanga. “Over the past decade we have invested $800 million in creating this one-of-a-kind destination for local residents, and as this newest solar panel project makes clear, our investment extends to ensuring that the well-being of the community is at the forefront of everything we do.”

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield now has solar energy systems also at six other California retail locations, including Westfield Century City, in Los Angeles; Westfield Fashion Square, Sherman Oaks; Westfield UTC, San Diego; and Westfield Valley Fair, Santa Clara.