Introduction

Energy efficient stadiums is the latest trend

of environmentalism in sports.
Many stadiums are beginning to take
measures to become more environmentally
friendly and energy efficient, such as
using solar energy to power the stadiums and
using reusable raw materials.
The use of solar power has grown in the recent
past. However, this is not true for utility-scale
solar plants. It is also used for small solar
power projects. Using solar power has even
reached the entertainment industry.

Sports with their ability to reach huge

numbers of people have been used as a place
for value promotion for many years. The
concepts of energy efficiency and
sustainability have been an issue of major
focus in the recent past. Many famous
stadiums today use solar power to improve
the sustainability of their power use.
In many cases, famous stadiums have
conducted wide-scale initiatives to boost solar
use. The international Olympic committee did
one of the largest solar installation initiatives
by professional sports. The committee added
environmental protection as the third pillar of
the Olympics for those wishing to host the
games. The use of solar panels and heat
collectors has become quite popular at
Olympics sports venues globally.
5 NFL Stadiums That Are Leading The
Way With Solar

Lincoln Financial Field

Philadelphia, PA

Home to the Philadelphia Eagles, Lincoln

Financial Field has consistently made
sustainable improvements since its opening in
2003 and is now a LEED Certified stadium.
The improvement you will notice first as you
approach the stadium is its 3,000 kW solar
system. Drive by the stadium on Interstate 95
and you will see panels hanging on the side of
the stadium. Park in Lot K and you will enjoy
tailgating in the shade under the 16-row solar
car-port. 
MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford, NJ

A few miles across the Hudson River from New

York City is the home of the New York Giants
and New York Jets. MetLife Stadium opened
in 2010 with an innovative roof lined with
solar panels. The 350 kW solar system
produces enough energy to meet the
stadium’s daily energy needs.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GAWest of downtown Atlanta is the
first U.S. professional sports stadium to
achieve LEED Platinum. Designed with
sustainability in mind, the home of the
Atlanta Falcons is powered by 4,000 solar
panels. You will find the panels at the parking
lot near the corner of Gray St and Ivan Allen
Jr Blvd, atop stadium entrances, and on the
roof of the nearby Georgia World Congress
Center.
Levi Stadium
Santa Clara, CA

Levi Stadium takes the cake for one of the

most unique solar installations. The west side
of the San Franciso 49ers home is the NRG
Solar Terrace with 1,186 solar panels. In
addition, the stadium’s main parking areas are
connected to the stadium with three solar
bridges totaling 375 kW of solar.

NRG Stadium
Houston, TX

Houston is hot so what better way to shield

Houston Texan fans from the sun than a solar
pedestrian bridge? Spread out between a
pedestrian bridge and a weatherproof canopy
at the main entrance, NRG Stadium is home
to 600 solar panels making a 180 kW system.
These are just five of the stadiums powering
their game days with solar. Many other teams
throughout the league, including Gillette
Stadium and CenturyLink Field, are
capitalizing on solar’s economic and
environmental benefits. Be on the lookout for
solar when you attend your next NFL game.

Lusail Stadium, Qatar

The Lusail Stadium in Qatar, will host the
2022 World Cup Final. When completed it will
have a capacity of 80,000 seats according to
architects Fosters+Partners.
The stadium will be solar powered, which in
particular will be used to maintain
temperatures inside the stadium. Air-
conditioning will be used to reduce the
temperature to 27°C at a time when the actual
temperature outside is 40°C plus.
Solar energy will also be generated from the
car park canopies, this will initially power the
stadium and the surrounding areas when the
ground is not in use. The solar power will
lower the stadiums CO₂ emissions by 40%.

As part of Qatar’s bid for the 2022 World Cup,

the London-based architects responsible for
the 2007 reconstruction of Wembley Stadium,
Foster + Partners, has designed an energy
efficient stadium to be built in the Qatar
capital of Doha. When completed, the Lusail
Iconic Stadium will boast enough room for
86,250 spectators and will be surrounded by
parking and service areas shaded by canopies
of solar collectors, which will produce energy
for the stadium when it’s in use, as well as
generating power for neighboring buildings.

Revealed at the ‘Leaders in Football’

conference in London this week, the stadium
incorporates environmentally friendly cooling
technologies to keep spectators and players
cool in Doha’s extreme heat. The concave
profile of the stadium’s outer enclosure
incorporates a system of operable louvers,
while the central section of the saddle-form
roof can be extended or retracted to allow the
pitch to be open to the sky or fully covered.
In the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil undoubtedly the
sun. For the first time, the 2014 FIFA World
Cup Brazil Final will be powered by solar
energy. Yingli Solar, the largest solar producer
and a FIFA World Cup sponsor, has prepared
lighting fixtures for Pernambuco and
Maracana stadium. It is expected to produce
more than 1 megawatt per year of clean
energy, covering electrical energy for 25 years
or more. These exciting mega projects, to
produce solar energy, represent FIFA's long-
term commitment to a lasting leadership in
reducing the environmental impacts of its
activities and increasing the positive impact
of the World Cup on society and the
environment. "Sustainability is one of the
main pillars of our vision for the 2014 FIFA
World Cup Brazil. After we have brought solar
power to more than 20 centers in Africa, we
are very pleased with our continued
cooperation with Yingli who is now preparing
energy systems Solar panels for Brazilian
football, we hope that this distinguished
project is the catalyst for the production and
use of renewable energy in these countries.
Installing solar energy equipment on
Maracana stadium: Since the 1950 FIFA World
Cup, Maracana Stadium has earned a
reputation as one of the best soccer icons.
Thanks to the many improvements made to
this stadium, which is the largest in South
America, it will become the most famous with
its permanent improvement initiatives. More
than 1500 cells to produce solar energy from
Yingli have been installed. This solar project
will generate electrical energy estimated to be
enough for about 240 homes annually, and
thus will help reduce the equivalent of
emitting 350 tons of carbon dioxide into the
air each year. The installation of these solar
cells will give green energy to the global scene
in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final, and
this helps to increase the environmental
awareness of football fans all over the world.
quick Facts: It is estimated that the
installation of 390kWp will generate over 550
MWh of clean electricity throughout the year.
Generated solar energy can supply about 240
ordinary homes with solar energy for more
than 25 years. This project can prevent the
emission of more than 350 tons of carbon
dioxide, which is equivalent to its impact on
the environment planting 14,000 trees. Solar
modules installed at Pernambuco stadium:
Pernambuco stadium will host five matches
within the activities of the 2014 FIFA World
Cup Brazil. This stadium will be powered by a
pure solar energy production facility of 1 MW,
while the first solar module installed on the
ground in the Brazilian province of
Pernambuco is in São Lourenço de Mata,
which is a suburb of Recife, the provincial
capital. This project includes more than 3,650
Yingli units highly cost-effective solar energy,
and is expected to produce more than 1500
MWh of clean electrical energy per year.
Visitors can see the performance of this
system at a site dedicated to visitors to
introduce solar culture. quick Facts: It is
estimated that installing 1000kWp will
generate over 1500 MWh of clean electricity
throughout the year. Generated solar energy
can supply about 600 ordinary homes with
solar energy for more than 25 years. This
project can prevent the emission of
approximately 800 tons of carbon dioxide.
This is equivalent to its impact on the
environment, planting 35,000 trees.

Taiwan has completed construction work for a

unique stadium entirely dependent on solar
energy to secure its electricity needs through
photovoltaic technology. The toyo ito office
designed the stadium in the shape of a dragon
creature to accommodate 50 thousand
spectators within the terraces covered by a
canopy containing 8844 solar panels, capable
On stadium lighting, lighting strength of 3300
Lux. Building a new stadium is always a huge
undertaking that requires millions of dollars,
an enormous number of manpower and large
amounts of electricity to operate it. Toyo
ito's office accomplished this unique design by
which it succeeded in stopping the depletion
of electric energy by placing solar panels to
cover the stadium with an area of 14,155
square meters, and it is able to secure
sufficient energy to operate the 3300 stadium
lamps, in addition to two giant displays. . To
demonstrate design efficiency, officials have
tested this power system and found that it
takes only 6 minutes to fully operate the
stadium lighting system. The stadium also
contains other green environmental elements,
such as sidewalks (1), and the large use of
local materials that can be reused. An area
of 7 hectares - out of 19 hectares for the
project as a whole - has also been allocated to
sports gardens, bicycle paths, public green
spaces and environmental water pools, as well
as the transportation of all plants that were
present at the project site and re-cultivation.
People who are not interested in sport will
find what satisfies them in this project, as the
electricity networks in the areas adjacent to
the stadium will be powered by electricity in
the absence of a match in the stadium or not
used, and this will save 80% of these areas'
need for electricity. That is, the stadium will
generate approximately 1.14 million kilowatt
hours per year, which prevents the emission
of 660 tons of carbon dioxide annually
compared to the use of traditional electricity
systems.
 Solar Power is Perfect for
the Energy Use of Sports
Arenas
In some cases, the use of solar clean energy at
stadiums is usually a purely economic one.
The cost of installing renewable energy at
stadiums has dropped so much the benefits
over time outweigh the cost.

Europe has a very mature sports scene. Some

of the best teams in various disciplines are
found here. A growing list of stadiums on the
continent now uses solar power. In fact, most
of the sports arenas that have installed PV are
in the football or soccer as it is known in the
US.

The major drive for stadium solar power

installation in Europe is FIFA, which began
the Green Goal project in 2003. However, the
program debuted in Germany during the World
Cup of 2006. Later it debuted in the UEFA
Cup held in Switzerland in 2008. 

The use of clean energy in stadiums and

recreation buildings has come a long way
since it was first used in sports arenas. The
Badenova-Stadio was the first to use
renewable energy source by using 259 KWp of
power on its rooftop. This trend soon caught
on in the rest of Europe. 
Most of the nice stadiums that use solar
panels are in the top leagues of Europe such
as Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. The venue
with most solar capacity is the TT circuit in
the Netherlands. The racing venue collects
solar energy using about 21,000 solar panels
that have a peak capacity of 5,600 KWp. 

Installing solar panels on the roof is not the

only way that these sports teams can be more
sustainable. For instance, Arsenal has a power
purchase agreement with Octopus energy in
the UK. This has made the team 100%
sustainable in energy consumption. With such
energy conservation, the Gunners will save
2.32 million kilos of CO2 emissions each year.
This is about 183 double-decker buses.

Why football stadiums can score on

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:
1.Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
(Philadelphia Eagles)
2.FedEx Field, Landover, MD (Washington
Redskins)
3.Gillette Stadium / Patriots Place,
Foxborough, MA (New England Patriots)
4.CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle
Seahawks)
5.New York Jets Training Center, Florham
Park, NJ (New York Jets)
6.Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (San
Francisco 49ers)
7.MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
(New York Giants)
8.Rams Park, Earth City, MO (St. Louis
Rams)
9.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.

Conclusion
Solar and arena vs stadium are perfect
for each other, they save the venues
money while also promoting solar use
to the masses. More venues globally
should definitely embrace the use of
solar energy.
Solar power is an immense source of
directly useable energy and ultimately
creates other energy resources:
biomass, wind, hydropower and
wave energy. ... The energy of light
shifts electrons in some
semiconducting materials. This
photovoltaic effect is capable of large-
scale electricity generation.