World's Largest Solar Power Plant is Now Online

         After three years and $2.2 billion of construction, California has just flipped the switch for the planet's largest solar thermal plant, the 392 megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Ivanpah's 300,000 heliostatic mirrors, which reflect and concentrate light around a central molten salt-filled tower, rather than convert light to electricity like photovoltaics, sit on 3,500 acres of federal land in Mojave, California. The project has received major funding not only for the DoE but also Google, NRG Energy, BrightSource Energy and Bechtel.
         While only the first of they system's three central towers has begun operating, it's already feeding power back into the PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) grid. And when the remaining two will be activated in the coming weeks, Ivanpah is expected to produce enough energy at peak to power 140,000 homes while reducing carbon emissions by some 400,000 tons per year over its 30-year service life.

Sports and Solar Power Energy

       The 2013 National Football Season may be six months away but one team is helping their community in sustaining a new outlook of their football stadium from a spectator sport to one who is involved with environment sustainability. Sunpower Corporation, a company involved in manufacturing solar panels, roof tiles, and high-efficiency photovoltaic cells, has been giving the opportunity to help the recent Superbowl Finalists, the San Francisco 49ers, by providing them with a solar panel system for their new stadium.

Santa Clara stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers will be playing their home games

       Sunpower Corporation has a partnership with NRG Energy, a large American-based company specializing in green-tech energy projects, and they are both collaborating on providing Santa Clara stadium with energy sustainability. NRG Energy is actually most known for its projects such as the electric vehicles' charging stations in California and wind farms in Texas; the company will be installing a number of solar elements on the stadium, giving it enough energy over the course of the year to offset the power consumed during the 49ers home games.
       This new system will be installed as three solar array bridges of solar panels of 400 kilowatts are done at the training center as well as there being a solar canopy built over a green roof terrace. The installation of the solar canopy defines it to be pro-football's first green rooftop, specifically as a 27,000 square foot canopy covered with vegetation, which will help insulate stadium's luxury suites as well as help to reduce stormwater runoff.

        However, this announcement of Sunpower Corporation and NRG Energy is not an unfamiliar one; it is part of the green trend spreading through NFL and other spectating sports. Metlife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, has 1,350 solar panels installed, producing 350,000 kilo-watt hours (or 10% of the stadium's energy on game day).

       The Fedex Field, home of the Washington Redskins, has also been involved in the green trend by having produced a total of 8,000 solar panels, providing them with 1/5 of their required energy needs.

Fedex Field having solar panels, which were installed by NRG Energy

       Major League Baseball participates in having stadiums of renewable energy sustainability in wind and solar power: San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals.