La Casa del Zorro in Borrego Springs has completed a $150,000 “solar farm,” the first of two projects totaling more than $3 million aimed at making the resort more energy-independent and eco-friendly.
Operators said the 10,000-square-foot solar panel project, completed during the past two months by San Diego-based Everyday Energy, will allow the resort to heat five of its largest guest swimming pools, maintaining a temperature between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.
The solar panels also support the hot-water system for four of the resort’s five main lodging buildings, with support for the fifth building soon to come.
Operators have earmarked an additional $3 million for a photovoltaic system that will convert solar power into clean, renewal energy across the property. The solar-panel improvements follow prior conservation measures in 2013 that saved more than 600,000 gallons of water monthly through well reactivation and evaporation reduction.
The 42-acre, 67-room luxury resort, located adjacent to Anza Borrego State Park and with a history dating back to the 1930s, reopened in 2013 under new owners following an extensive renovation, after being closed for nearly three years.
The remote property includes 26 pools, a spa, tennis and bocce courts, and three on-site restaurants.
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