Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said a solar-development guide he wrote with members of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation appears to be gaining traction.“There are technological and financial barriers to solar, but more potent is a cultural barrier,” Hershkowitz commented. “Less than 20% of Americans follow science, but more than half follow sports.”
A new solar-development guide for sports arenas appears to be catching on with U.S. professional-sports leagues; L.A.'s Staples Center is called out as an example.
The National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League wrote letters to their respective teams last month to recommend the solar-development guide and endorse wider use of solar power.
The NRDC guide reviews the advantages and challenges of solar panels and the process for launching a project, along with cost estimates and financial incentives.
“We know you’ve heard solar is expensive, but there are many ways to lower initial capital cost,” according to the guide, which lists an energy audit as the first step. Read the NRDC’s guide, “Solar Electric Energy for Your Stadium or Arena.”
The cost averages about $7.50 per installed photovoltaic watt, or $3.32 million for a 500-kilowatt system. With a federal tax credit factored in, that cost would be lowered to $2.28 million.
The solar-development guide also points out the newer trend of power-purchase agreements, which avoids many of the up-front costs through agreements to buy the power generated by the panels, rather than owning them outright.
‘Many of our players got their start skating on frozen ponds. It’s not a good thing for the sports world or the world at large if the ponds melt.’ --Gary Bettman, NHL commissioner
This month, the New York Jets announced the use of 3,000 Yingli Green solar panels for the team’s training facility in Florham Park, N.J.. The sports team signed a power-purchase agreement with Syncarpha Capital for the solar-power system, which was designed and installed by SunDurance Energy.
Hershkowitz said other teams are taking a look at solar power as well. One early ally from pro sports is NHL goalie Mike Richter, a solar-energy proponent, he added.
Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League, said the green guide will help teams make an informed decision, and added that he supports the solar push for stadiums to help fight global warming.
“It may sound trite, but many of our players got their start skating on frozen ponds,” Bettman said in an interview. “It’s not a good thing for the sports world or the world at large if the ponds melt.”
The newly opened Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh is the first NHL arena to win gold status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental certification system, according to the commissioner.
The arena was built with recycled materials and water-saving toilets, among other energy-saving features.
NRDC’s Hershkowitz said the Staples Center in Los Angeles — which gets up to 5% of its power from solar panels — is a model of what he’d like to see at stadiums around the country.
Baseball’s iconic Fenway Park in Boston unveiled a 28-panel solar system in 2008 that replaces up to 37% of the natural gas used to heat its water. In addition, solar power is in the works for Qwest Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
For sports stadiums and arenas, Hershkowitz said he’s brought some lessons to bear from his unsuccessful attempt to build a Bronx plant for recycling paper into new products, as detailed in his 2002 book,“Bronx Ecology.”
The book touts the creation of green-collar jobs and the long-term benefits of sustainable businesses — topics that he believes remain more compelling today than when the book was written. “Right now China is expanding its solar industry, but the U.S. is behind.” Hershkowitz said. “We need to invest in it.”
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