Vine Street Parking Lot solar array built in 2011 from above.
In celebration of Uptown Consortium, Inc.’s (UCI) 20th anniversary, UCI reflects on two decades of impactful projects through a monthly spotlight on New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) initiatives. These projects have shaped Uptown’s five neighborhoods by creating jobs, housing, retail, essential healthcare and entertainment. With Elephant Trek opening soon at the Cincinnati Zoo, UCI is featuring its 2011 investment in the Cincinnati Zoo solar array.
Vine Street Parking Lot solar array dedication in 2011.
Cincinnati Zoo Solar Array: $5.2 million in NMTCs
In 2011, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden embarked on a green transformation, installing the nation’s largest publicly accessible urban solar photovoltaic (PV) canopy in its Vine Street Parking Lot. That solar array generates 1.56 megawatts, providing over 25% of the Zoo’s electricity needs, reducing operational costs, preventing 1,775 tons of CO2 emissions annually and mitigating the heat-island effect from the open asphalt parking lot.
New Euclid Avenue Parking Lot (front) built in 2024 with Vine Street Parking Lot (back).
Now in 2024, the Zoo’s second solar array is up and running in the Euclid Avenue Parking Lot. This array produces 2.8 megawatts of power—nearly twice the power of the array in the Vine Street Parking Lot—yet it is smaller in size. This is forecasted to save the Zoo $300,000 annually and cut 1,284 tons of CO2 emissions. The success of the Vine St. Solar array led to the construction of the newest array.
2024 solar array expansion in the Euclid Avenue Parking Lot.
Together, these solar arrays now power over two-thirds of the Zoo’s electricity, earning it the title of “Greenest Zoo in America” and contributing to its goal of becoming net zero by 2025.
Giving back to the community
The Zoo’s commitment to sustainability and the community extends beyond its walls. During the 2011 project, the Zoo provided more than 1,600 local jobs and education opportunities to local students, 3,000 free and reduced rate admissions annually, and three Uptown residents were awarded scholarships to attend the PV Installer Training Program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and worked on the project.
During the 2024 project, extra solar panels from the Euclid Avenue project were donated to the Zoo’s Community Solar Resiliency Program (CSRP), which will eventually be used to install arrays on community centers, schools, and churches in Avondale, East Price Hill and Bond Hill. The most recent installation was at Lydia’s House, with the next project planned at Horses on the Hill in Fall 2024.
Elephant Trek: opening soon!
More education and learning are coming to the Zoo. Thanks to lower energy costs, the Zoo is also reducing admission fees—perfect timing for the highly anticipated opening of Elephant Trek, the largest exhibit in the Cincinnati Zoo’s history. The five-acre habitat will be home to a multi-generational herd of eight Asian elephants, including Sabu, the bull elephant who recently returned home after two years at the Columbus Zoo.
Designed to mimic an Asian jungle, Elephant Trek features a waterfall, a lush garden and a bronze statue of two young elephants by artist Olivia Faillace. The exhibit will also host animals like clawed otters, siamangs and native Asian birds.
The exhibit officially opens to the public on October 1.
Elephant Trek preview.
With over 1.7 million annual visitors, contributing $169 million to the local economy, engaging more than 450,000 people in educational programs—including 140,000 school-aged children—the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is a leader in Uptown.
These solar arrays are just one of many ways that UCI’s NMTC investments have benefitted the five neighborhoods of Uptown. UCI’s two most recent NMTC investments include the Blood Cancer Healing Center and the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter.
For updates on future NMTC projects, visit the NMTC page on UCI’s website and follow Uptown Consortium on LinkedIn and Facebook.