It’s about time!

California’s historic Fairfax Theatre claims that it will be the first major movie theater in the United States to install a solar power system to help cover its energy costs. *

In addition to supplying clean energy, it will save the theater’s owner about $627,000 over the estimated thirty year life of the 42 unit system. Over that time it will also eliminate the production of an estimated 1,000 tons of greenhouse gases.

The owner of the Fairfax Theatre is a larger business known as Cinema West. Dave Corkill, the president of the company said the following words about the exciting solar power addition:

I wanted a sustainable and renewable energy solution for the Fairfax Theatre. Solar energy will not only help us offset our electricity costs, but will also reduce greenhouse emissions and propagate the environmental ideals of this progressive community. The Fairfax Theatre’s marquis is one of the first things you see when entering Fairfax. Now we are proud that it also represents clean energy.

The Fairfax Theatre was first constructed in 1950, and was later split into two parts, with a screen each. It now has five screens in total and is known as Fairfax 5 Theatres. Despite the generic name, several neon signs give the theater a classic appearance from the outside. Solar power will only help solidify the movie theater’s place in history.

* Correction: The Fairfax Theatre is not the first solar powered theater in the United States. Thanks to a user comment, California’s Palm Theater should be commended as the actual first. One distinction that should be noted though is that the Fairfax Theatre is part of Cinema West (the first theater of a major chain to go solar), whereas the Palm Theater is independently owned.

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Photo Credit: Artbandito on Flickr under a Creative Commons license