Super Bowl 2024 to be powered by Nevada desert solar farm, marking a historic green milestone

Tremendous Bowl 2024 is setting the stage not only for a showdown between high NFL groups, but additionally for a significant environmental milestone. This yr, the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host a Tremendous Bowl powered completely by renewable power — a primary within the historical past of the occasion.

The seemingly desolate space of the Nevada desert is the supply of the inexperienced power used to energy the sport. 

An enormous photo voltaic farm with over 621,000 panels shimmers like a mirage however with the potential to energy near 60,000 residential prospects — or one very massive stadium.

The Las Vegas Raiders, which name Allegiant Stadium dwelling, have entered right into a 25-year settlement to purchase energy from this new photo voltaic set up owned by NV Vitality.

CEO Doug Cannon mentioned that the photo voltaic set up would provide greater than 10 megawatts of energy for the Tremendous Bowl. This quantity of power is roughly equal to the consumption of 46,000 houses.

Sustainability was entrance of thoughts because the stadium was being constructed, based on Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan.

The stadium’s roof is product of a sustainable plastic materials that permits in about 10% of daylight however blocks all photo voltaic warmth, so it takes much less power to chill the constructing. The grass area is moved open air on a rail system to get pure daylight relatively than utilizing energy-intensive rising lights. And every thing from grass clippings to meals scraps and cigarette butts are composted or transformed into different types of power.

“If you come to a sport you might be enthusiastic about simply specializing in the sport however after they hear that and know that we’re being acutely aware of our environmental footprint hopefully that visitor will go away and have that very same mindset after they return dwelling,” mentioned Douglass Morgan.

The Tremendous Bowl’s inexperienced power push was highlighted throughout a go to from U.S. Secretary of Vitality Jennifer Granholm, who inspected the stadium’s most important electrical entry room.

“Individuals generally get nervous about renewable energy as a result of they don’t seem to be certain if it’ll be dependable. The truth that renewable energy can energy a facility like this reliably ought to converse volumes about what may occur in different communities,” Granholm mentioned.

The photo voltaic farm not solely powers the present wants but additionally homes huge batteries to retailer renewable power, making certain a five-hour energy provide even when the solar is not shining. This know-how is seen as a key element in transitioning the U.S. energy grid towards 100% clear electrical energy by 2035, a aim set by President Biden.

Regardless of the deal with environmental sustainability, the Tremendous Bowl’s leisure, together with a halftime present that includes performer Usher, won’t be compromised.

“We’ve sufficient energy for Usher and all of his lights and all of the fanfare that’ll be there,” mentioned Cannon. 

Watch the Tremendous Bowl on your native CBS station, on Nickelodeon and streaming on Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 11.

Extra from CBS Information