Safeco Field Solar Panels Can Be Tracked By Mariners Fans Inside Ballpark

By Earth Techling's Susan DeFreitas:

At Safeco Field in Seattle, the Mariners are looking to score a hit against their carbon emissions with a solar power array consisting of (appropriately named) Panasonic HIT Double solar panels. The company’s HIT (which stands for heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer) panels are hybrid solar cells composed of single crystalline silicon wafers surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers, a proprietary technology originally developed by Sanyo, which the park will use to generate approximately 40,000-kilowatt hours of power each year.

The installation consists of 168 panels, unique because they absorb and generate electricity from both their top and bottom sides, is expected to be ready to come online in short order, in time for Opening Day on April 13. This power will feed into the Safeco Field distribution grid, and fans will be able to track the amount of power generated on monitors inside the ballpark.

The project is part of the Mariners’ overall sustainability initiative, which includes electric vehicle charging stations, high-efficiency lighting and various other eco-friendly measures. InSpec Group, the contractor on the project, has designed the solar panel system to be mounted on the elevator canopy of the Safeco Field parking garage and the roof of the skybridge that spans Edgar Martinez Drive.

“The Mariners have a commitment to sustainability and our system will help them achieve their goals by using a natural power source, the sun, to reduce Safeco Field’s energy costs,” Panasonic’s Jim Doyle said in a statement.

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Comments

[Independent by Choice]

06:46 PM on 07/27/2012

Safeco Field is a neat field. That being said good thing the Mariner's are getting into solar as they are clearly not into baseball.

[darttabb]

05:08 PM on 05/21/2012

40,000 KWH per year is 110 KWH per day. That is NOT 40,000 KWH on demand.
Battery storage inefficiencies reduce that by about 30% (80% conditioning in; 80% inverting out).
That nets 77KWH per day, enough to power about 10 stadium lights (1.5 KW each) for five hours. 10 stadium lights wouldn't light up the bullpen.
Times 81 home games per regular season, that would cost $623 for the season at 10 cents per KWH, or about $8 per game.
And since this is Seattle, the word solar is key in these efficiencies.
What did these panels cost? Who paid for them? What's the ROI? The article above is simply a commercial. We need to open our eyes.

[darttabb]

04:40 PM on 05/21/2012

It really doesn't matter. Solar energy cannot power even a single-story building in Nevada with the panels occupying 100% of its roof. No solar-powered structure will ever be off the grid today.

It's too soon to call this an "alternative energy source". It isn't.

[ecotea]

04:18 PM on 05/20/2012

Veggie dogs and now solar panels -- Great job, Seattle!

[WonderingNThinking]

04:19 AM on 05/13/2012

Another positive step for the earth (which we depend upon). Also, gotta love the minds that will be changed to think greener because of the PR around this solar installation.

[Warren Lauzon]

03:18 PM on 04/11/2012

What they failed to mention is that Panasonic has closed their only North American factory, in Mexico, and that the (ex-Sanyo) Panasonic HiT panels will probably not be available in the US for years.

[Nathan Max]

03:12 PM on 04/07/2012

Commercial solar panels are too expensive and it takes 10 years to pay back - look at the calculations that Engineer John Sommer did in his website about this http://topdiysolarpanels.com/

[Warren Lauzon]

03:22 PM on 04/11/2012

That article is so far away from reality I am not sure why you even posted the link. All the problems with DIY panels have been discussed extensively on the various solar forums, but the bad info just never seems to go away.

[Winterseeker]

02:10 AM on 04/07/2012

We really should start from the bottom-up, especially in less sun-intense areas...why not start with geothermal/ground-source heat retrofits? They are often cheaper and more reliable...once you get that covered move on up to solar by all means!

[ThinkCreeps]

03:40 PM on 04/06/2012

Rather more effective in a less cloudy spot, but if it pays the Mariners... where are the AZ teams? Perhaps they should evolve?

[Gas-Bag]

06:29 PM on 04/06/2012

It goes to show that solar works even here in Washington State :-)

[WonderingNThinking]

04:17 AM on 05/13/2012

It works almost anywhere. It's just big energy that tries to pretend it doesn't so they can keep us slaves to the grid so they can control prices.

[PlayTOE]

12:15 PM on 04/06/2012

let me give you an industry wide view of solar panels ..
... buy ours.

this isn't an info piece, its an advert.

[Ecolke]

12:15 AM on 04/06/2012

Go Mariners!

[huha]

11:13 PM on 04/05/2012

That monkeysee Solarworld video is an advertisement, and full of marketing hype and inaccuracies.

Almost every point they make is the opposite. There is a lot more automation 'overseas,' not less. Just look at the youtube videos for other module makers like Suntech or Trina. Just look at all the business articles about why Apple makes their idevices there.

5 yr warranty when most of these 'overseas' makers are 10 years.

They say they are USA made, but they conveniently leave out that they are a German company.

Solarworld's warranty, and their product certification is not as strong as the competition. Ask them if they have IEC 61701 Salt Spray certification for ALL of their modules like the other guys. Ask them if they do not state in their warranty that any installation within 200 yards of the ocean will be 'determined at their discretion as to warranty validity.'

They are having enough financial and market problems that they initiated the Solar Trade Tariff war to try and increase prices, to the detriment of the green consumer. If you can't beat em, sue em is the mantra of business today.

[Kenz300]

10:44 PM on 04/05/2012

Good for them ! ! !

Wind and solar are the future.

[VikingQuest]

08:50 PM on 04/05/2012

"At Safeco Field in Seattle, the Mariners are looking to score a hit against their carbon emissions with a solar power"

Why don't people understand solar panels are a novelty?

[Kenz300]

10:48 PM on 04/05/2012

Because they are not a novelty.

Alternative energy sources are viable and investments in them are outpacing investments in the finite resources.

Electricity generated from wind power, solar energy, wave energy and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to Bloomberg.

Storage technology for wind and solar is now coming online making it even more attractive.

The price of oil, coal and nuclear keep rising while wind and solar prices keep falling.

[boehnerstan]

08:20 AM on 04/06/2012

Maybe, but ignorance endures.

[SolarUniverseCA]

05:53 PM on 04/05/2012

The Mariners are spearheading the direction that everyone in the league should follow.
This represents not only a informative learning tool for the public but will generate approximately 40,000-kilowatt hours of power each year. Good for you for embracing solar technology!

[Kenz300]

10:55 PM on 04/05/2012

Philadelphia Eagles stadium is also looking to go green. NRG will design, build and operate an array of more than 11,000 solar panels and 14 micro wind turbines.