DLR Group is designing a photovoltaic (PV) array at FedExField, the Landover, Md.-based home of the Washington Redskins, that will generate up to 2MW of electricity. The solar power system is being designed for NRG Energy as a key component of the energy company’s partnership with the Redskins.
The NRG-branded solar power installation features 8,000 solar panels that will cover 850 spaces in the stadium’s Platinum A1 Parking Lot. Information kiosks in parking lot A1 and the NRG entry plaza at Gate A on the west corner of FedExField, will also inform fans about renewable energy and showcase NRG clean energy solutions.
“The FedExField array illustrates how design can influence development of renewable power systems in the future,” said DLR Group Principal, Scott Shively, AIA. “We are pushing the envelope of renewable design to be more than panels on a roof. The FedExField system is design driven. DLR Group electrical engineers and designers used our integrated design process to create a design that not only promotes the benefits of renewable energy but enhances the Redskins fan experience and conveys NRG’s commitment to clean energy using architecture.”
“NRG is the first to conceive, develop and build a solar energy solution of this type and scale,” said Tom Doyle, CEO of NRG Solar. “With this innovative project, we will be able to demonstrate — not only to fans at FedExField, but to people across the country — how sustainable energy technologies can be integrated into everyday life, increasing our national energy security."
DLR Group’s design for the NRG Entry Plaza at Gate A will feature nearly 200 translucent solar panels applied to the exterior of the pedestrian entry ramp leading to stadium seating. In addition, fans entering the stadium through the NRG Plaza will be greeted by a sculpture of two football players featuring thin film solar technology which also produce energy for the stadium. The project also includes 10 electric vehicle charging stations from NRG’s eVgo charging network.
“Renewable energy, specifically solar, must be leveraged to reach the aims of the 2030 Challenge,” said DLR Group Managing Principal Griff Davenport, AIA. “Strategic collaboration for clean energy projects, such as the work between the Washington Redskins, NRG, and DLR Group, is crucial in pushing renewable to the forefront as a viable option to meet energy needs.”
NRG is involved in some of the most ambitious clean energy projects in the country, including utility-scale solar generation in California; eVgosm, the nation’s first privately funded electric vehicle charging network; and smaller-scale efforts that bring the benefits of renewable energy directly to consumers.
