The biggest sporting event in America went green this year thanks to its position out in the desert. 621,000 solar panels channeled the electricity needed to power the Allegiant Stadium, home of both Super Bowl VXIII, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to CBS News, the stadium entered into a 25-year agreement with NV Energy to buy power from the solar farm, which can power 60,000 homes outside of game day.
Las Vegas sees 300 days of sun a year, so the initiative makes perfect sense, and it’s not the only sustainability initiative found in and around the Allegiant. They recycle all the rubber pellets from the turf, run food scrap collection from the on-site restaurants and divert them from the waste stream to feed livestock, and compost all the grass clippings from the field.
They also have a super-efficient roof which reduces the need for air-con, and multiple efficiency systems like low-energy lighting, lighting control systems, and air handling units.
But the standout feature is the 100% renewable electricity, generated from the sun.
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“People sometimes get nervous about renewable power because they’re not sure if it’s going to be reliable,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who inspected the stadium’s main electrical entry room, reports CBS News.
“The fact that renewable power can power a facility like this reliably should speak volumes about what could happen in other communities.”
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