On Friday, August 23, the Chattanooga Lookouts (Class AA; Southern League) will host what is being billed as the first 100 percent carbon-neutral game played by a Minor League Baseball team in America. The Green Power Night home game is being powered through locally-generated solar energy credits provided by EPB of Chattanooga in partnership with Tennessee Valley Authority.
To celebrate this historic partnership, the Lookouts will be donning special green jerseys during the game.
“The Lookouts strive to be an environmental leader in minor league baseball, and we’re proud to have local partners like EPB and TVA help us make history on Green Power Night,” said Chattanooga Lookouts President Rich Mozingo. “Chattanooga is our home, and every effort to help clean up the air we breathe creates a better fan experience while adding value to the community we love.”
EPB’s Solar Share, which is Chattanooga’s only community solar installation, is powering the game. Solar Share panels located along Holtzclaw Avenue will provide solar energy credits to generate the 2,500 kilowatt hours needed to power a game and support operations. This solar energy credit is equivalent to 1.98 tons of carbon.
“EPB is committed to providing energy solutions like Solar Share which gives our customers an easy and affordable way to support locally generated sustainable energy,” said EPB President and CEO David Wade. “We are honored to power this history-making minor league game through EPB Solar Share.”
TVA, the largest public power provider in America, coordinated the partnership.
“TVA was founded on renewable energy from hydro dams 86 years ago, and today nearly 60 percent of the electricity we make is carbon-free,” said Doug Perry, TVA vice president of Commercial Energy Solutions. “We continue to grow and evolve our green power programs, and this game is a great example of the renewable energy solutions TVA makes available across our region to make businesses more competitive and better environmental stewards.”
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
EPB is a municipally-owned utility that provides energy and connectivity solutions as a means of enhancing quality of life and supporting job creation for customers across the Chattanooga area. EPB serves more than 170,000 homes and businesses in a 600 square-mile area. In 2010, EPB became the first provider in the United States to deliver up to 1 Gig (1,000 mbps) internet speeds utilizing a community-wide fiber optic network that provides access to every home and business in its service area. In 2015, EPB became the first, and to date, only American ISP to make up to 10 Gig (10,000 mbps) internet speeds accessible to all of its residential and commercial customers as a standard offer.