Next time you take a ride on the historic carousel at Woodland Park Zoo, it will be powered by the sun.

Later this month the Woodland Park Zoo, in partnership with Seattle City Light, will install solar panels on the roof of the carousel pavilion located on the zoo’s North Meadow.

The solar panels are expected to produce 9,000 kilowatt-hours annually, enough to offset the electricity required to power the carousel, which completes an average 100,000 rides per year.

According to City Light, 9,000 kilowatt-hours is also the annual amount of electricity needed to power the average Seattle home.

“Seattle may be known as ‘Rain City,’ but solar does work here,” City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “We’re excited to support this solar carousel project, to demonstrate very publicly how solar energy options are viable for both home and business use in our community.”

The solar carousel project is made possible by a $70,000 grant from City Light’s green power program, which is funded by voluntary contributions from customers in support of renewable energy education.

This is the third partnership for renewable energy between City Light and Woodland Park Zoo, including City Light’s support of solar panels in the Family Farm and the sustainable geothermal energy unit installed in the zoo’s penguin exhibit.

“We’re grateful to City Light for their support in helping us to engage visitors in conservation by modeling ways to reduce human impact on our natural resources,” said Bruce Bohmke, zoo Chief Operating Officer.

To accommodate construction, the carousel will be closed to visitors starting Jan. 18 and will reopen to riders in early February.