There is no shortage of sunshine in the Caribbean, and Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa in St. Maarten is putting it to work. The 317-room property recently completed a US$1 million solar installation that allows it to produce six to eight hours of its own power during peak times. Westin Dawn Beach claims to be the first Westin property in the world to use solar panels to replace energy consumption throughout the resort. The resort began harnessing the power of the sun in 2007 with the installation of solar panels to heat water used in its guestrooms. The current installation includes 2,602 solar panels capable of a total system capacity of 755 kilowatts. It will produce more than 1.2 million kilowatt hours annually-enough electricity to power 111 average-sized American homes.
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