With the installation of 3,465 solar panels, TD Bank Ballpark, the home of the Somerset Patriots (independent; Atlantic League), is now one of the greenest ballparks in all of baseball.
The installation was overseen by Somerset County Improvement Authority.
“The initiative of Somerset County and the Board of Chosen Freeholder to reduce the carbon footprint has shown their continued respect and commitment to all those that live and work in Somerset County,” said Steve Kalafer, Chairman of the Somerset Patriots. “We’d like to thank the Freeholders, led by Director Peter Palmer and Deputy Director Patrick Scaglione, as well as all the Somerset County professional engineering staff and workers on the project. Special attention was paid to integrate and make part of the entire ‘look and feel’ of the Somerset Patriots and our home,”
The installation of the 3,465 solar panels at the ballpark, located in both the Red and White parking lots, is part of a Somerset County effort to provide renewable energy sources to businesses and residents to help the area go green.
The solar initiative at TD Bank Ballpark, or more specifically photovoltaic (PV) system, will produce an expected 1,140,000 kWh annually. 90% is guaranteed by Sunlight General, the system owner and operator of the PV system for the next 15 years.
The PV power is connected to the site’s utility meter and is expected to supplement 88% of the consumption used at the ballpark. The PSE&G puts in a bi-directional meter on site since most of the ballpark’s consumption is used at night and the panels produce energy during the day. This consequently means, the utility meter will spin backwards during the day with the production of power from the PV modules and forward at night during baseball games.
Some environmental benefits equivalent to the 1,141,510 kWh annually can be described as follows:
- 805 Metric Tons of CO2
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 168 passenger vehicles
- CO2 emissions from 90,291 gallons of gasoline consumed
- CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 131 homes for one year
- Carbon sequestered annually by 660 acres of U.S. forests
- CO2 emissions from burning 3.5 railcars’ worth of coal
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