American Sporting Centers Going Solar

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has created tools, guidelines and comprehensive software to help American sports franchises reduce their carbon footprint, specifically the NRDC has been pushing solar power.

However, adoption of this technology has already started taking place without the NRDC's help. Stadiums have not only gone solar in sunny Los Angles, California and Phoenix, Arizona, but also in Seattle, Washington where it is cloudy 201 days a year and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where January highs are 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The word is out and major American sporting centers across the country are going solar.

Although the move is predicated in environmental consciousness, with arenas like Staples Center reducing 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases with its 1,727 solar panels, it is also financial. In Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway just committed US$16 million to a 25 acre solar farm project that, according to track president Brandon Igdalsky, will rake in electricity savings of US$300,000 to US$500,000 a year.

Other US sports centers that have gone solar:

• The US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA (the first LEED gold-certified arena in the NHL)
• Qwest Field, Seattle, WA

"The ecological footprint for professional sports is not gigantic, but the cultural iconic influence of sports is almost unparalleled," said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz of the NRDC. "We need to merge the culture of science with the culture of sports if we want to get the message out."

Read the full Chicago Tribune article: Even in Seattle, teams turning to solar energy to help save money and the environment

Image Credit: iotae via flickr

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