Low-Cost Solar Get Sporty

A hot dog with all the fixings in one hand, and a tall-cool beverage in the other.  The smell of freshly cut grass and the scent of dust fills the air.  "Aye batter batters," and the smack of a bat on a ball proceeds the roar of the stadium.  Hard to beat a day at the ballpark.  When the night comes, it's hard not to notice the extreme amount of electricity it takes to power a major league sporting event.  However, more and more, we see the cost of solar fall, and at the same time, the rise in efficiency and power output.  A lot of sporting venues are looking to go solar to provide or at least subsidize some of those massive power usages.  

Low-Cost Solar And Sporting Events

Recently, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), established an informative news release detailing sporting venues utilizing solar throughout the country.  It turns out that 37 sites in the United States have solar capabilities.  This quantity of sites stacks up to a massive energy output totaling 46 MW of capacity. This report covered our four major American pastimes, and also combined Major League Soccer, NASCAR, and Indycar into the cumulative. The industry leader in utilizing solar was the NFL with 11 using the current markets cost of solar to bring these capabilities to its stadiums. Ranking next in line was the NBA and MLB at 9 and the NHL at 4 for solar panel use.

Large Developments Bring Solar Panels

Due to a low-cost solar panel manufacturing and installation period, many large-scale development projects are starting to consider the addition of solar panel systems to move into a more energy sustainable future.  SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper stated in a recent press release, “This data is further proof that solar energy is a meaningful contributor to America’s energy portfolio. Ballparks and stadiums nationwide are investing in solar to save money on costly electricity bills and demonstrating that clean energy is a smart business choice for the future. Solar is becoming so commonplace on sports stadiums and arenas that all of the 2018 champions thus far have been teams with solar facilities – the Philadelphia Eagles, Golden State Warriors and the Washington Capitals right here in D.C.”  It is clear that the industry of all shades is increasingly seeing the falling cost of solar panels as a great moment to jump into the solar revolution.  

Power Purchase Agreements And Low-Cost Solar Farms

Illuminating the concept of industry giant's moves toward solar comes the newest solar installed stadium member, the Sacramento Kings' Golden One Center.  This fantastic solar system created stadium belongs to the Sacramento Kings.  The Kings have a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a local 11 MW solar farm that feeds their extreme power usage for sporting and entertainment events.   The largest onsite solar system belongs to Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 9.6 MW. Capital One Arena, Lincoln Financial Field, and Pocono Raceway round out the top-five at 3.5 and 3 MW sequentially.

Solar Prices Fall, Usage Rise

Although onsite solar is the premier choice for most teams, SEIA predicts that as we continue to move into a lower and lower cost solar panel market, more teams will also start looking feed their energy needs through PPAs.

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. 

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.