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Solar power on agenda for Kauffman Stadium

Kansas City RoyalsA solar array — the largest in the major leagues — has been installed at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals, with the capacity to generate 36,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

That’s enough electricity to power four average houses in a year. The ballpark uses much more electricity than that, of course, but the solar array will certainly make a dent in the ballpark’s energy bill.

Here’s the press release from the Royals:

The Kansas City Royals and KCP&L announced today a new solar energy partnership at Kauffman Stadium that will result in the largest in-stadium solar array in Major League Baseball.

KCP&L installed a 28.8 kilowatt solar array that will produce approximately 36,000 kWh of renewable energy each year.  This marks the first step in a long-term commitment between the Royals and KCP&L to maximize renewable energy resources at the ballpark.

“The Royals are committed to making Kauffman Stadium one of the most environmentally-friendly facilities in sports,” said Kevin Uhlich, Royals Senior Vice President-Business Operations.  “We are excited to partner with KCP&L to bring the latest technologies in sustainable energy to the ballpark, especially as we prepare for the 2012 All-Star Summer.”

The partnership also ties into the renewable energy initiatives of Major League Baseball, which will be highlighted during the 2012 MLB All-Star Game and related festivities in Kansas City this summer. 

The solar array is comprised of 120, 240-watt solar panels on the roof of Kauffman Stadium’s Outfield Experience canopy.  The panels face south and are mounted in two groups of 60 panels each – one on each side of CrownVision. 

“KCP&L is proud to partner with the Kansas City Royals on their first renewable energy endeavor,” said Chuck Caisley, KCP&L vice president of Marketing and Public Affairs. “KCP&L has a long standing history of supporting renewable energy projects because it brings a significant benefit to our customers.”

In addition to the solar energy at Kauffman Stadium, KCP&L will have approximately 600 MW of renewable resource capacity by 2014. This includes wind generation, hydropower and landfill-gas-to-energy projects.

By Opening Day, KCP&L will also install an educational kiosk in the Outfield Experience to educate Royals fans about the solar energy system. Fans can learn how to monitor the production of solar energy and how solar energy benefits Kauffman Stadium and the greater Kansas City region.

RELATED STORIES: Indians go greener at Progressive Field with new wind-turbine system; Solar structure going up on Chase Field

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