Pacific Park Wheel on Santa Monica Pier Lights Up for Energy Conservation

By Lookout Staff

July 25, 2017 -- On Wednesday, Pacific Park's iconic solar-powered Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will host a special light program to raise awareness for energy conservation.

The light display, which takes place every other Wednesday through September 20, is part of Conserve Energy SoCal's efforts to highlight the links between the region’s natural gas and electricity systems, according to the organization's officials.

Conserve Energy SoCal's special light program (Courtesy of Conserve Energy SoCal)

"With 2017 expected to present challenges in natural gas availability, the Energy Providers of Southern California have united in a concerted effort to help the people of Southern California conserve energy and avoid shortages through educational programming," officials said.

Hot summer weather, especially during blistering stretches like the heat wave that swept across Southern California earlier this month, strain the region's energy systems, which largely rely on limited natural gas resources, officials said.

According to Conserve Energy SoCal, some 60 percent of the electricity generated in California comes from power plants that run on natural gas.

"With the limited availability of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon storage facility, there is less natural gas locally to produce electricity, particularly during the high-usage periods created by hot weather," according to the organization's website.

"During heat waves or periods of stress on the region’s energy systems, the limited availability of locally stored natural gas could lead to power outages."

The world's first solar-powered Ferris wheel, Pacific Park's wheel got a new, nearly $1 million LED lighting package last year that features higher resolution, greater color depth and faster frames-per-second display speed.

For each of the light programs taking place at Pacific Park throughout the summer, Conserve Energy SoCal will give away five free unlimited ride wristbands for the popular amusement park. To enter the giveaway for July 26 visit https://conserve.sc/july26.

First introduced last summer, the program is a joint campaign by the Energy Providers of Southern California, a consortium of natural gas and electric utilities, along with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Independent System Operator (ISO) and local city governments.

To learn more about joining the conservation effort this year, click here.