Tha arena aims to be the first stadium in the world to be Net Zero Carbon-certified by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).
Climate Pledge Arena is the home of the Kraken ice hockey team, the four-time WNBA world champion Seattle Storm and over 80 live music and entertainment events throughout the year.
The onsite solar arrays at Climate Pledge Arena produce energy totalling 1.2 megawatts. With space for 18,100 sports fans or concertgoers, the multipurpose Climate Pledge Arena was redeveloped just in time for the Kraken’s first home game under the historic landmark roof designed by renowned architect Paul Thiry. Solar panels have been installed on the new Alaska Airlines Atrium and the First Avenue North parking garage, in addition to the Kraken Training Centre at Northgate, where the NHL’s 32nd franchise trains.
The solar arrays convert sunlight to power the arena, and Seattle’s wet climate helps keep the panels clean. Together with off-site renewable energy, these solar panels help produce enough energy to power the arena with 100 percent renewable energy. As part of an overarching goal to be the most environmentally friendly sports and entertainment venue in the world, Climate Pledge Arena has also implemented water conservation measures and zero-waste goals, including eliminating single-use plastic within the arena by 2024.
“Climate Pledge Arena is the new gold standard for sports and entertainment venues, setting an example not only by demonstrating how adaptive reuse can work for large-scale redevelopment, but also showing how these energy-intensive buildings can be reimagined for a greener future and a healthier climate” said Brett Phillips, vice president of Unico Solar. “We’re thrilled to be part of this project’s ambition to achieve net Zero Carbon certification and look forward to bringing solar energy to arenas across the US.”
The Climate Pledge Arena solar installation is part of a 250 MW portfolio of commercial and industrial solar projects being developed by Unico Solar and Excelsior across the United States. The sites will sell clean electricity to a diversified mix of consumers, including commercial businesses, property owners, municipalities, educational institutions, entertainment facilities, utilities, and other electricity customers under long-term power purchase agreements.
“We knew that our plans to create the world’s most sustainable arena were ambitious, but we also knew that with the right priorities and the best team, we could meet the challenge” added Rob Johnson, vice president of sustainability and transportation for the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena. “Through our partnership with Unico Solar, we were able to create and execute a renewable energy plan that puts us one important step closer to achieving our goals.”
To finance the project Excelsior partnered with ESG tax equity investor, Monarch. Monarch’s ESG funds are direct investments in projects that positively impact communities by creating clean power, jobs and homes through the generation of federal and state tax credits. Monarch has facilitated investments in renewable projects abating over 32 million MT CO2e, which is equivalent to removing approximately seven million passenger cars from the road for one year.
Additional project partners include Omnidian, a leading provider of performance assurance for solar projects, and McKinstry, an industry-leading consultant in energy-efficient buildings.
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