Rio Tinto stadium is set to be the home of the largest privately owned solar arrays in Utah. The new solar arrays will provide more than 2 megawatts of power to the stadium, offsetting 73% of its electric needs.
“It’s equivalent to taking 450 cars off the road, and equivalent to planting 40 thousand trees annually,” says Nic Evans.
He’s the commercial sales manager for Auric Solar, the company installing the panels. He says they don’t just provide power; they’ll also serve as covered parking stalls for Real Salt Lake season ticket holders.
“It’ll be safer for our families and it will be lit up and we’ll have a great parking area,” Evans says.
Craig Martin is the General Manager of Rio Tinto Stadium. He says the panels will pay for themselves in about five years.
“We spend about $510 thousand a year on electricity alone, if we can spend roughly a third of that it certainly helps our bottom line, but it’s also the right thing to do,” he says.
Evans says they hope to have the project completed by October. It will be the 4th largest solar array of any professional sports stadium in North America.