May 21, 2009: Solar Stadium

[xoxoxoBruce]

All stadiums used to be solar stadiums... until somebody decided electric lights would let them play at night too. I think baseball did it around 1935 and these days even local playing fields commonly have lights. But these lights gobble energy faster than the fat family at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Practically every square inch of its dragonesque roof is covered by 8,844 solar panels, ready to supply the enormous record-breaking building with clean power. At the moment it's called (in English at least) the 'World Games Stadium', can be found in kaohsiung, Taiwan and was built to coincide with the opening of the world games - the unpopular but cool family member in the sporting events calendar - which are to be held in Taiwan this July.

As far as i know this Taiwanese effort does hold the record for 'largest solar-powered stadium in the world' as a result of its incredible 14,155m2 roof which could potentially generate 1.14 gigawatt hours of electricity every year; enough electricity to power up to 80% of the surrounding neighbourhood after being fed into the grid on the days when the stadium is unused.

Hopefully it won't be too long before all stadiums have similar systems. Apart from Manchester that is. You'd be better off using piezoelectrics to harness energy produced by the relentless rainfall around here. Not that I'm bitter.

I can see this taking off, for pro sports stadiums, here in the U.S. The taxpayers build the stadiums, then the pro teams sell the excess electricity for extra profit. Not that I'm bitter.

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[Ibby]

Taiwan's REALLY proud about the world games, cause they get shafted by EVERY OTHER international organization.

[Sheldonrs]

It's pretty cool but i hope there aren't any seats in the tail section cuz the view would SUCK while a game is on.

[capnhowdy]

That's the minority section.

[Uryoces]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

All stadiums used to be solar stadiums... until somebody decided electric lights would let them play at night too. I think baseball did it around 1935 and these days even local playing fields commonly have lights. But these lights gobble energy faster than the fat family at the all-you-can-eat buffet.


<< Big pix of Ed Bagley Jr's house >>


I can see this taking off, for pro sports stadiums, here in the U.S. The taxpayers build the stadiums, then the pro teams sell the excess electricity for extra profit. Not that I'm bitter.

link

We loves us some stadiums in Seattle! We love them so much, we're still paying for the Kingdome til 2012, and we blowed that up long ago! The Sonics asked us for a stadium and we told them to go play in a tornado...

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs

It's pretty cool but i hope there aren't any seats in the tail section cuz the view would SUCK while a game is on.

Originally Posted by capnhowdy

That's the minority section.

For them, they have a bunch of little kids, with sticks and rolled-up balls of tape, to watch, all on asphalt.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

could potentially generate 1.14 gigawatt hours

Wow, that's almost enough to turn a DeLorean into a time machine.

Dr. Emmett Brown: No, no, no, no, no. This sucker's electrical. But I need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity I need.

Younger Dr. Emmett Brown: [running out of the room] 1.21 gigawatts? 1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!
Marty McFly: [following] What-what the hell is a gigawatt?

[Clodfobble]

Nah, because the DeLorean ran on jiggawatts. Totally different. :p

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs

It's pretty cool but i hope there aren't any seats in the tail section cuz the view would SUCK while a game is on.

First time I've heard Sheldon complaining about being in the tail section when the game is on.

And since when does "SUCK" have negative connotations?

You feeling okay, Sheldon?

[Elspode]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I can see this taking off, for pro sports stadiums, here in the U.S. The taxpayers build the stadiums, then the pro teams sell the excess electricity for extra profit.

Once word of this gets around, every pro team will demand a new stadium covered in solar panels so that they *can* sell the electricity.