Rio Tinto Stadium Partners with Auric Solar to install one of the largest sports solar array in the US
American Rio Tinto Stadium announced yesterday a partnership with Auric Solar to install the State of Utah’s largest privately-owned solar array at the world-class Sandy venue. The ambitious project is expected to be completed in six months, and operational in October 2015.
Rio Tinto Stadium’s 2,020-kilowatt system of solar panels installed on existing stadium structure as well as new covered parking areas nearby will offset 73 percent of Real Salt Lake’s total annual stadium power needs – the largest offset in North American professional sports.
Rio Tinto Stadium is an American soccer stadium in Sandy, Utah, home to Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs. CC via Flickr.
Rio Tinto Stadium Solar Project Fact Sheet
- Rio Tinto Stadium will now own the largest solar array in Major League Soccer in the US.
- Rio Tinto Stadium will boast the 4th-largest solar array of any professional sports stadium in North America after Pocono Raceway (3,000 kW) in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field (3,000 kW) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (9,000 kW) in Indiana, ranked first.
- The solar system will offset 73 percent of the stadiums power needs, the largest solar offset for any professional sports stadium in North America.
- Nearly 95 percent of the solar array (made up of 6,414 solar panels) will be installed on new solar-covered parking structures, including an entirely new parking lot on the north side of the stadium.
Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs owner Dell Loy Hansen said:
“We are partnering with Auric Solar to increase our power efficiency while hosting more than 50 massive events each year in Sandy. The new solar covered parking structures will improve the quality of parking options for our 15,000+ season ticket holders and provide our state and the surrounding environment with the largest solar energy offset for any U.S. professional sports venue.”
The environmental impact of the new solar array carries the equivalent of removing 450 cars from the road, or planting 47,278 trees annually.
Aerial Video of the 2 finished sections of the Auric Solar system install at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Source: Press Release by Rio Tinto Stadium. Image Credit: Auric Solar, Rio Tinto Stadium and Ray Terril via Flickr.
