Why football stadiums can score on solar
Sports teams are beginning to use clean energy – has your team gone solar yet? Sports teams are beginning to use clean energy – has your team gone solar yet?
Football season has officially kicked off — which means tailgating with friends, setting your fantasy football roster and, for us, a looking up the list of stadiums that have gone solar.
We know that sports stadiums are a great place to put up solar panels. These venues consume lots of power during daylight hours, have spacious rooftops, and can place solar as shade structures in their expansive parking lots.
In fact, many stadiums have already taken steps to use solar energy.
An analysis of solar-powered stadiums by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that these venues lead the way by solar capacity:
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Eagles)
- FedEx Field, Landover, MD (Washington Redskins)
- Gillette Stadium / Patriots Place, Foxborough, MA (New England Patriots)
- CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Seahawks)
- New York Jets Training Center, Florham Park, NJ (New York Jets)
- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (San Francisco 49ers)
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (New York Giants)
- Rams Park, Earth City, MO (St. Louis Rams)
- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Chiefs)
With just nine of the 32 NFL teams using some kind of solar at their stadium, there’s much more room to grow the use of solar in pro football. And imagine the solar possibilities on other venues across the professional and collegiate spectrum.
By going solar on sports stadiums, teams can reduce the carbon pollution fueling global warming, teach young fans the benefits of clean energy and improve public health in their communities — all while saving money long term on their energy bills.
So, let’s keep the momentum going. If sports teams can charge ahead in the transition to clean energy, it will be one more reason to cheer them on.
