Some of the power charging Universal Orlando’s electric buses starts on the surface of a retention pond. Epic Universe’s floating solar array feeds a battery system that stores energy during the day and helps charge the buses overnight.
D3Energy confirmed in its October 6, 2026 project announcement that the roughly 1.4-megawatt installation was energized earlier this year. The announcement provides a closer look at infrastructure already in use, rather than a new attraction or a system that switched on this week.
How Epic Universe’s Floating Solar Panels Charge Electric Buses
The array sits at the park’s bus depot. According to D3Energy’s Epic Universe project details, it has 3,369 panels across about 2.5 acres of water, with anchors attached to the pond’s banks. Using an existing retention pond gives the resort space to generate solar power without setting aside another piece of land for the panels.
Comcast’s explanation of the bus-charging system says the depot’s batteries collect and store energy during the day for charging at night. It also makes an important distinction: the buses are charged in part by the floating array. That does not mean every bus trip runs entirely on solar power.
Floating Panels Are Part of Epic Universe’s Solar Program
The floating installation is one of three on-site solar projects at Epic Universe, totaling 3.7 megawatts. Qcells manages the overall solar program, while D3Energy handled the floating portion. Comcast projects that the three installations together will generate more than 6.7 million kilowatt-hours each year; that figure applies to the combined program, not just the panels on the pond.
Guests can also see the solar program in the VIP parking area, where panel-covered canopies provide shade and help power the park. For visitors traveling between parks, the more useful connection is the electric bus fleet. If you are working out how to get around the resort, our Universal Orlando transportation and parking guide covers the trip-planning details.
Universal Orlando’s Earlier Floating Solar Array
This is D3Energy’s second floating solar project for Universal Orlando, following an installation completed at the original campus in 2021. That smaller array has 645 panels and a roughly 249-kilowatt capacity. Its distinctive Comcast logo comes from a film placed over the panels, as described in D3Energy’s original Universal Orlando project overview. It is a separate installation from the larger array serving Epic Universe’s bus depot.
Official Universal sources
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Source credit: yahoo.com
