Super Bowl Draws on Renewable Energy to Light the Field with LEDs

The wind on the field seemed to play an insignificant role in Sunday's Super Bowl XLIX, but wind outside of the field was playing a major role, providing much of the electrical power needed for the yearly event. Arizona utility Salt River Plan (SRP), on behalf of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, partnered with the National Football League (NFL) Environmental Plan to provide 100% renewable power for the Super Bowl, drawing on wind, solar, and geothermal power to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the event. See the SRP news release.

The University of Phoenix Stadium used that green power efficiently, because for the 1st time ever, the Super Bowl field was illuminated by high-performance LED stadium lights. Earlier this season, the stadium became the 1st NFL venue to light its playing field with LED lighting, replacing 780 metal halide fixtures with just 312 LED fixtures and cutting power consumption for field lighting by 75%. According to manufacturer Ephesus Lighting, Inc., the LED lights provide brighter and more uniform light that allows more accurate color reproduction during broadcasting. See the Ephesus news release.

Interestingly, the home fields of both of Sunday's teams feature large solar power systems. But just like the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots again edged out the Seattle Seahawks for the win: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, sports 1,000 kilowatts of solar power, whereas CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington, includes a still-impressive 800 kilowatts of solar power. See the Solar Energy Industries Association's rundown on solar in sports.

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.