Phoenix Suns Score with New Solar System

EI Solutions has teamed up with Tioga Energy Systems to provide solar power for the Phoenix Suns, it has announced. Plans call for the installing of a 1,125 panel, 194-kilowatt solar system at the team’s home arena, the US Airways Center, owned by the city of Phoenix. The installation will be completed in the spring of 2009.This project is one of a series of efforts by businesses in Arizona to get more of their energy without relying on the power grid. Other sports teams have also begun solar power initiatives. The San Francisco Giants were the first baseball team to us solar power, 590 solar panels at AT&T Park. Both Fenway Park, in Boston, as well as Coors Field in Denver, have also gone solar. And recently, it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers plan to install more than 1700 solar panels on the roof of their home base, the Staples Center arena.Steve Kerr, the general manager for the Phoenix Suns, explained to CPN, “We’re excited to be able to work with APS to bring solar power to the US Airways Center. In this day and age, it’s important for businesses and people to act on ideas to conserve  energy, and this is a huge step for the Suns in that process.  The project also benefits the Suns financially because we don’t have to pay any upfront costs to install the system.”  El Solutions designed and created the system. Tioga Energy, a privately held company based in Sunnyvale Calif., will own, maintain and operate the installation. Tioga will own 100 percent of the energy provided by the solar power system.The project will by installed up on the fifth floor of a parking structure where it will serve a dual purpose, providing shade for cars as it collects solar energy. The system is predicted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 440,000 pounds every year, the equivalent of what would be produced by planting 46 acres of pine trees. The 18,000 square sheet of shaded parking space will be making enough renewable energy to power about 26 Sun home games each season, which can also be described as a reduction in the traditional power usage for a portion of the casino Arizona pavilion load by about 25 percent.The Suns will pay to Tioga an annual fee based on the energy produce. Tioga will sell the energy provided by the system to the Suns.EI Solutions, a provider of solar energy based power systems based in San-Rafael California, is a subsidiary of Energy Innovations. Tioga Energy, a private company based in Sunnyvale, Calif. designs solar solutions and specializes in managing agreements with owners to operate the associated equipment, process government rebates and tax incentives.