I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota Vikings (even considered getting the solar panels on my home in purple), and an even bigger fan of wind energy, so the news this week that the Vikings are planning to tackle their energy use in partnership with Juhl Wind is a major touchdown.
Juhl Wind Inc, well-known for its commitment to community wind power, is teaming up with the Minnesota Vikings to tackle clean energy supply at Viking home games this NFL season. Juhl will supply renewable energy credits (RECs) from one of their wind energy plants. This will counteract the energy consumed at games this year at the Mall of America Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The total amount of energy ‘provided’ by Juhl during this football year will hit 520,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh), cutting 507,520 pounds of carbon emissions.
“The renewable energy produced will offset all the electricity used throughout Mall of America Field — from the concession stands and ticket offices, to the field lighting and scoreboards making the Vikings one of the only NFL teams to play in a 100% green-powered facility during the entire 2012-2013 season,” said President of Juhl Wind Inc, Corey Juhl, in a statement.
Minnesota Vikings officials are hoping this encourages Minnesota residents to move towards clean energy. “We are very pleased to partner with Juhl Wind on this renewable energy initiative for the stadium. The Minnesota Vikings are committed to becoming more environmentally friendly and utilizing renewable energy resources whenever possible. We certainly encourage other households and businesses in Minnesota to participate alongside us,” added Vikings Vice-President of Sales and Chief Marketing Officer Steve LaCroix.
For your curiosity, RECs become available when renewable energy is available at various renewable energy plants. The credits are then bought to offset consuming energy somewhere else. When RECs are bought at the same amount of energy used, this means the electricity consumed is essentially put on the power grid from a renewable source. RECs also help finance future renewable energy development.
The NFL has used RECs in the past, with its biggest game being the Super Bowl last February. It’s nice to see pro football clubs leading the charge on renewable energy use. Here is hoping more teams continue to score more touchdowns for clean energy in the future.
Oh, and GO VIKINGS!
In other news about Juhl Wind, check out this Start Tribune story by David Shaffer:
Wind farm towers: They’re taller, slower with more power
Source: PR Newswire
