Eco Factor: Sustainable resort powered by renewable energy.
Kimpton Hotels will soon be opening a new resort in Key Largo, Florida, that will be one of the greenest resorts ever to be developed. Developed by Northstar Resort Enterprise Corporation, the resort will have 138 luxury units and a 5,000-square foot restaurant. Jim Saunders, the president of Bayview Homes will be leading the project.
The proposed resort will include a 20,000-kilowatt solar array that would provide green electricity for all electricity needs of the resort including the electric golf carts that the resort is supposed to have. The excess energy will be sold back to Florida Keys Electric Cooperative. The resort will also house wind turbines that would power the dock lights, a rainwater harvesting system will also be introduced to collect water for laundry purposes. All the 138 rooms will have energy-efficient LED lights, heaters that automatically turn on upon demand and air conditioning that automatically gets turned off in case the door of the room is left open.
The Dark Side:
The use of a variety of energy-efficient and eco-friendly technology will make the resort a very costly affair. It could end up spending much more than what would actually be saved by all the renewable energy systems. However, spending too much on eco-technology would definitely earn a priceless green reputation for Kimpton Hotels.
Via: KeysNet
