| Posted on July 22, 2011 at 3:24 PM | 
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Despite being a longtime fan of the New York Giants I have to credit the Washington Redskins for their efforts to bring solar power to the masses. The ‘Skins recently announced an agreement to build a 2 megawatt array in the parking lot of their home stadium, FedEx Field. The array will consist of 8,000 panels and serve a number of purposes....
Besides generating enough power to run the stadium on non-gamedays as well as contribute significantly to the stadium’s energy use for home games, the array will also provide shelter during inclement weather - common in the winter months and no doubt popular with the tailgaters. It will also help reduce car wear and tear and fuel use by keeping the vehicles cooler ensuring less sun damage and need for air conditioning. Excess power will also be sold to the grid generating income from an otherwise fallow piece of land.
The array will be installed by NRG, a US energy firm who will also install charging stations for 10 electric cars and build a dedicated plaza showcasing differing solar panel technologies at one of the stadium’s entry gates that will be seen by thousands of fans each season.
This is a bold move by the Redskins and a highly commendable one - no doubt many more arenas across the world will do likewise in the coming years.
Besides generating enough power to run the stadium on non-gamedays as well as contribute significantly to the stadium’s energy use for home games, the array will also provide shelter during inclement weather - common in the winter months and no doubt popular with the tailgaters. It will also help reduce car wear and tear and fuel use by keeping the vehicles cooler ensuring less sun damage and need for air conditioning. Excess power will also be sold to the grid generating income from an otherwise fallow piece of land.
The array will be installed by NRG, a US energy firm who will also install charging stations for 10 electric cars and build a dedicated plaza showcasing differing solar panel technologies at one of the stadium’s entry gates that will be seen by thousands of fans each season.
This is a bold move by the Redskins and a highly commendable one - no doubt many more arenas across the world will do likewise in the coming years.
