With Spring in full swing, so is the baseball season. And while fans may not notice it, the lights, cooking and a number of other features they enjoy when they head to the stadiums are being powered by solar power.

Just this week, Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians indicated they were joining the solar baseball trend by announcing the coming installation of solar panels on Progressive Field in the coming months.

“The Cleveland Indians organization is committed to helping preserve the environment by using advanced energy and green options,” said Jerry Crabb, Indians Senior Director of Ballpark Operations in a press release. “We understand the responsibility of being environmentally conscious within the walls of Progressive Field and beyond. Using sustainable technologies is not only good for the community, but good for baseball.”  

"The Cleveland Indians organization is committed to helping preserve the environment by using advanced energy and green options," said Jerry Crabb, Indians Senior Director of Ballpark Operations. "We understand the responsibility of being environmentally conscious within the walls of Progressive Field and beyond. Using sustainable technologies is not only good for the community, but good for baseball." 

The project, located on the roof behind home plate, will help reduce energy costs.

Other stadiums

With this move, the Cleveland Indians join other sports franchises that have made the move to renewable energy to power their gigantic electricity needs. Indeed, studies estimate that it takes more than 30 million kWh to power a single baseball stadium for a season (equivalent to more than 3,000 average homes annually). And remember that the regular baseball season includes 81 home games. A The bill for such a feat, somewhere around $1 million per year.

If the team advances to the playoffs, that figure grows, and so does the fans support. 

In June 2018, research published by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) revealed that more than 46 megawatts of solar capacity are operating at 37 professional sports facilities nationwide. 

“The adoption and investment in solar energy systems by the sports and entertainment industry has been a critical element in the sports greening movement,” said Justin Zeulner, Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance when the SEIA published its report. 

“Leagues, teams, venues, collegiate campuses, athletes, arenas and stadiums are all vital in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and these clean-energy investments supports building healthier, more sustainable communities where we live,” Zeulner continued.

Every major sport in the United States, including the NFL, NBA, NHL and NASCAR feature solar assets. Major League Baseball is no different.

In fact, the first stadium built to use 100 percent solar power is the Kaohsiung National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

But stateside, plenty of teams are following suit.

For instance, AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, uses 590 solar panels to provide a total of 120 kW, enough electricity to power the stadium’s scoreboard.

The San Diego Padres also installed a new solar power system at Petco Park, as well as the Kansas City Royals, who have solar panels with the capacity to generate 36,000 kW hours of electricity per year. In the Arizona desert, the Diamondbacks also generate 75 kW of solar power with panels atop an open-air pavilion that also provides shade for fans entering Chase Field, while in 2018 the Boston Red Sox became the first team to install solar thermal panels in their stadium to provide 37 percent of its hot water.  

Perhaps more importantly for baseball fans, SEIA says that nearly 6 million hotdogs are sold at ballparks with solar systems. That’s a lot of meat.

For example, the St. Louis Cardinals brought 106 solar panels to Busch Stadium that power food, beverage and retail shops. 

And also this week, the New York Yankees became the first and only team in the world to align itself with the Paris Climate Agreement by signing onto the United Nation’s Sports for Climate Action Framework, an effort that calls for net-zero emission economy by 2050.

Yankee Stadium doesn’t yet feature solar panels, but that could probably change now after making this commitment. 

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.

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