Solar Energy’s Quiet Invasion Into Professional Sports (List of Solar Teams & Stadiums)

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Originally published on EnergySage.

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In the past, we’ve written about solar beginning to reach the MLB and the NFL. But since then, more and more professional sports teams are realizing the amazing power of solar energy. In an effort to both reduce their carbon footprint and save money, sports teams across the country are allowing solar power systems to take over their stadiums.

There are so many reasons why going solar is a great idea for anyone from the owner of a large stadium to the owner of a modest residential home. We are optimistic that in the near future every professional sports stadium in the country will be powered by clean, renewable solar energy. Right now, sports fans can follow in the footsteps of their favorite team and go solar themselves! The first step is getting an instant estimate of your property’s solar potential.

Below is a detailed list of the teams and stadiums that have made the switch to solar energy.

NFL

  • Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots)
    new solar canopy consisting of about 3,000 panels has nearly tripled the solar power output at Patriot Place, an outdoor shopping and dining center next to Gillette Stadium which was already producing 525 kWh of electricity from a PV system. The system reduces carbon emissions by more than 800 metric tons.
  • Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles)
    The 11,000 solar panels that have been installed at Lincoln Financial Field cover six times the annual energy used by the stadium.
  • Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco 49ers)
    The 375kW solar installation, which will premiere in fall 2014, will provide enough power over the course of a year to offset the power consumed at the stadium during home games.
  • MetLife Stadium (New York Giants & Jets)
    At the home of Super Bowl XLVIII, 1,350 building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels generate about 350 KW, nearly 25 times the amount of electricity that’s actually needed to power the LED display system. The excess power can go into the general stadium use or back to the grid.
  • FedExField (Washington Redskins)
    The stadium has 8,000 solar panels, making it the largest solar power installation in the metropolitan D.C. area. This solar project keeps 1,780 metric tons of carbon out of the atmosphere, the equivalent of replacing 349 vehicles with gasoline engines with zero-emission electric vehicles.
  • CenturyLink Field (Seattle Seahawks)
    Solar panels spanning the area of two football fields now sit atop CenturyLink Field Event Center, generating more than 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, meeting 30% of the facility’s energy needs.

MLB

  • Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
    Fenway Park’s solar thermal installation provides 37% of the hot water needed at the stadium, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 18 tons.
  • Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks)
    The Arizona Diamondbacks installed a solar pavilion at Chase Field that generates 75 kilowatts of power and provides 17,280 square feet of shade for fans standing outside the stadium.
  • AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants)
    The 122kW of clean energy from AT&T Park’s solar panels will flow directly to PG&E’s customers throughout northern and central California.
  • Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
    In April 2011, 106 new solar panels were installed at Busch Stadium. The panels provide 36 kW of solar energy.
  • Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners)
    Even though Seattle is one of the least-sunny cities in North America, the Mariners are also putting solar power to work for them. A new 33-kilowatt solar array will generate 40,000 kWh of electricity each year, offsetting 28 metric tons of CO2 emissions. That’s the equivalent of planting more than 700 trees every year. Fans will be able to track the amount of power generated by the solar panels on the monitors inside the ballpark.
  • Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals)
    A string of 120 solar panels, 60 on each of side of the CrownVision board, have been installed atop the canopy of Kauffman Stadium’s Outfield Experience. They will provide part of the electrical energy required to operate the stadium.
  • Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians)
    This solar installation provides 8.4 kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity and introduces solar energy concepts to millions in Northeast Ohio. The electricity produced from the solar installation is enough to power all of the 400 television sets throughout Progressive Field.
  • Coors Field (Colorado Rockies)
    Forty six solar panels have been installed to provide power at Coors Field. The 9.89 kilowatt solar array will produce over 14,000 kilowatt hours of energy, enough to offset the consumption of the Rockpile LED board over one year.

NBA

  • Staples Center (LA Lakers/Clippers)
    The STAPLES Center currently has 1,727 solar panels installed on its rooftop. This 364 kW photovoltaic (PV) solar system is connected to an additional 166 kW system on top of the roof of Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The combined systems will eliminate over 10,000 tons of CO2. The net clean energy benefits of the system equates to the environmental benefits of planting 170 acres of mature trees.
  • US Airways Center (Phoenix Suns)
    The 966 solar panels cover approximately 17,000 square feet and produce 378,000 kilowatt-hours each year.
  • Pepsi Center (Denver Nuggets)
    10-kilowatt solar panel system was installed on top of the Pepsi Center’s Blue Sky Grill in July 2009 as part of a larger strategy to make the Pepsi Center a carbon-neutral venue. The Pepsi Center’s photovoltaic array should produce 12,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
  • Downtown Oakland Practice Facility (Golden State Warriors)
    Over 500 solar panels have been installed atop the team’s Downtown Oakland Practice Facility. The system has the capacity to save the team more than two million dollars in electricity costs over the next 25 years.

NHL

  • Staples Center (LA Kings)
    The LA Kings share the STAPLES Center with the NBA’s LA Lakers and LA Clippers and will benefit from the 1,727 solar panels installed on its rooftop.

Bonus:

  • NASCAR’s Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA has a 25-acre solar farm with a 3-MW system, providing electricity for the entire raceway facility and 1000 homes nearby— between 3 to 4 million kWh per year. The solar farm consists of nearly 40,000 American made PV modules. The project will produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy over the next 20 years.

Want to follow in the footsteps of your favorite team?  The first step towards going solar is getting an instant estimate of your property’s solar potential. Why not get started?


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