By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of Anguilla’s most popular boutique hotels has announced the completion of a significant new green energy initiative.

The Frangipani Beach Resort has completed a new solar panel project that will power 70 percent of the resort, according to a statement.

The solar field consists of 800 photovoltaic panels producing 370 kilowatts of energy set on a quarter of an acre.

The property has also added two solar canopies to its parking structure.

“Sustainability has always been important to us, and we’re constantly working towards making the property more eco-friendly,” said Shannon Kircher, Marketing Manager at Frangipani. “Being in the Caribbean, the sun is a resource that is in abundance, and powering the property through solar energy felt like a natural and important step for us to take in working towards our mission.”

Perhaps more importantly, the new field is also designed to withstand hurricane-force winds.

“We believe that not only Frangipani but the island of Anguilla itself will benefit from this initiative as we work towards creating a more sustainable future for generations to come and a greener environment,” Kircher said. “Electricity is a huge line item for resorts, the largest for us beyond personnel, and by utilizing solar-powered technology it will greatly reduce operational costs while leaving less of an environmental footprint. We have set goals to reduce our energy consumption by two-thirds, which represents a significant saving for us.”