"If they can do it, hopefully it inspires people with homes or small businesses and other corporations to move in this direction."
Green Bowl
Last night, the Kansas City Chiefs weren't the only ones who celebrated a big win — it was also a big night for green energy.
The event was the first Super Bowl to be powered entirely by renewable energy, an impressive feat considering the sheer amount of electricity needed to keep the lights on in a stadium that seats up to 65,000 fans.
Solar Stadium
The Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas got all of its power from the gigantic Arrow Canyon Solar Project, owned by local utility NV Energy.
The farm, which is located on the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians Reservation 20 miles from Sin City, is made up of 621,000 panels as well as battery storage.
As Business Insider reports, the stadium was estimated to consume 28 megawatt hours of power during this year's Super Bowl.
"If they can do it, hopefully it inspires people with homes or small businesses and other corporations to move in this direction," Adam Kramer, CEO of NZero, the company that tracks the stadium's emissions, told BI. "There's not a bigger stage in the United States than the Super Bowl, and the fact that sustainability is one of the storylines says everything."
Outside of powering stadiums, the solar farm is designed to generate enough energy for up to 76,000 average Nevada homes.
Carbon Bootprint
But is that all greenwashing? Considering thousands of fans, players, and staff likely had to fly in for the event — we're looking at you Taylor Swift — the Super Bowl still has a considerable carbon footprint.
That's not to mention the water needed to keep a field, albeit a shaded one, in the middle of the Nevada desert green.
Nonetheless, the fact that we're even talking about our environmental footprint when it comes to sporting events is at least a step in the right direction.
More on renewable energy: Coal Plants Staying Online Because AI Needs So Much Power
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