Solar News

After recently connecting its first commercial solar-powered plant, Brazil will now have Latin America's first solar-powered soccer stadium, continuing the trend of solar powered sports stadiums. We recently reported on the American football (not to be confused with soccer) team Philadelphia Eagles installing solar panels at Lincoln Financial Field.

According to PV (Photovoltaic) Magazine, a Germany-based solar company has teamed up with Brazilian environmental technology group Ecoluz Participações S.A. to carry out the project under the name Gehrlicher Ecoluz Solar do Brasil S.A.

Utility company Coelba awarded the contract to the joint venture. Under the joint venture, Latin America will see its first photovoltaic system installed on a soccer stadium. Located at the Pituaçu Stadium in Brazil's third largest city, Salvador da Bahia, construction on the 403 kilowatt system is expected to begin in September, and they expect to be able to connect to the grid by December.

Solar Industry Magazine reports that the project involves the use of two module (solar panel cells) technologies: thin film solar modules will be  installed on the canopy covering the grandstands, and monocrystalline solar modules will be mounted onto the locker room and some parking lot roofs.

The report added that tender procedures to install solar on all 12 of the upcoming 2014 World Cup venues have been submitted and are "in progress." Ricardo da Silva David, director of Gehrlicher Ecoluz Solar do Brasil, commented, "This contract is very important to us, in particular against the backdrop of plans for outfitting all twelve 2014 Soccer World Cup venues with solar power systems."

The new project in Bahia effectively demonstrates the professional sports industry's commitment to using renewable sources of energy as well as making their operations more cost effective. Measures like these will not only increase teams' and organizations' revenue, but also significantly reduce the input required to operate their stadiums.