It used to be that the only green in a sports stadium was the playing field but more and more sports teams are working to incorporate “green” initiatives into their stadium!
Recently, the Philadelphia Eagles set out to make their Lincoln Financial Field a 100% renewable energy site by using a combination of wind, solar and dual-fuel generated energy. The plan is to install (approximately) 80 20- foot spiral shaped wind turbines on the top rim of the stadium. There will be 2,500 solar panels on the stadium’s façade and a 7.6 megawatt onsite duel fuel cogeneration plant with monitoring and switching technology installed to operate the system.
SolarBlue is the company helping the Eagles to accomplish this spectacular goal. The renewable energy and energy conservation experts are investing more than $30 million into this project to build it out. Over 20 years, the onsite energy sources should provide 1.039 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. This is more than enough to supply the stadium’s power needs. As a result, an estimated four megawatts of excess energy off-peak will be sold back to the local electric grid.
Amazingly, the project is expected to be done in September 2011! Even more amazing? This project translates into an estimated $60 million in energy costs savings and the elimination of CO2 emissions equivalent to 500,000 barrels of oil or 24 million gallons of gas consumed annually!
If the Philadelphia Eagles pull this off, they will be the world’s first major sports stadium to do it!
Though the Philadelphia Eagles are the first to go the route of 100% on site renewable energy, there are other sports teams that have also joined the eco-friendly bandwagon. The New England Patriots buy wind RECs to match the stadium’s electricity use before, during, and after all New England Patriots home games. At the San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park, 590 solar panels are being used for their solar electricity system. US Airways Center, home of the Phoenix Suns, is powered by a 194-kilowatt solar system.
Safeco Field, home to the Seattle Mariners, recently replaced one of its largest electronic display boards with an energy-efficient version that uses one-tenth of the electricity. The Philips Arena and the American Airlines Arena have also met the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Philips Arena, home to the Atlanta Thrashers, is the first NBA or NHL arena to achieve LEED certification for an existing facility. The Pepsi Center claimed to be the first sports arena in the U.S. with a “100 percent green” status when it announced the purchase of enough renewable energy to offset all electricity used at the arena.
Lastly, when the New York Jets renovated the Meadowlands, they cut the stadium water use by 25%, increased total recycling by 25% and saved the equivalent of nearly 1.68 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions during construction. Meadowlands used 40,000 tons of recycled steel to build the stadium, installed seating made from recycled plastic and scrap iron, used environmentally friendly concrete in construction, and replaced traditional concession plates, cups, and carriers with compostable alternatives.
As you can see, the sporting world has slowly but surely taken notice to the eco-friendly standards that we are all wanting. Hopefully, as more stadiums are renovated and replaced, other owners will make the environmentally friendly (and financially superior) decision to build green beyond the playing field.
Make sure to visit Green Earth News’ Green Is Grand section for more on living eco-friendly!
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