The City of Lancaster and SolarCity announce completion of 340 Kilowatt solar system at Clear Channel Stadium

LANCASTER, USA: The City of Lancaster and SolarCity, a national leader in solar financing, design, installation, monitoring and related services, announced the completion of a 340 kilowatt carport-mounted system at Clear Channel Stadium, home of the Lancaster JetHawks. Clear Channel Stadium is the first minor league baseball stadium in California to go solar.

“This new solar array will save the City tens of thousands of dollars each year, which is a significant amount in our current economic climate,” stated Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “Even more significant is the fact that, with this new system, we are continuing to work toward making Lancaster the solar energy capital of the world.”

The solar system is expected to offset 98 percent of the stadium’s energy use, while saving the City and its owners up to $48,000 in the first year of operation. The carport-mounted design provides Jethawks fans with shaded parking during the season when temperatures can soar into the triple digits. The system is also expected to offset more than two thousand pounds of particulates, the leading cause of asthma, over the 15 year life of the lease.

“We’re thrilled to see the system completed in time for the season,” said Peter Carfagna, JetHawks owner. “In addition to the environmental and monetary advantages, our fans are going to benefit from the shaded parking during the hot summer months.”
The stadium is the first of six City solar projects to be completed. The projects, totaling 2.5 megawatts, are expected to save the City of Lancaster more than $7 million over the next 15 years.

“Clear Channel Stadium is setting an example of what baseball stadiums in California should be doing -- going solar,” said SolarCity regional director, Jim Cahill. “We’re excited to be part of the Jethawks’ first season powered by solar.”

The stadium’s energy output levels may be viewed at SolarCity’s SolarGuard web page. The page updates every 15 minutes, reporting daily, monthly and yearly data.