Starting next season, the Ravens will be partially powering M&T Bank Stadium with the sun's energy.
The Ravens will install about 1,000 solar panels atop the new North Plaza roofs at M&T Bank Stadium this offseason.
All energy generated from the panels will go directly into M&T Bank Stadium, helping the Ravens be more sustainable and environmentally friendly, while also cutting energy costs.
"It's all part of our full sustainability plan," said Sr. Vice President of Stadium Operations and Guest Experience Rich Tamayo.
"We're building new buildings that have an extra energy draw and extra stress on the grid. Anything we can do to add solar to those buildings to pull away from that grid, I also thought was very important. It's something we thought was right, and it's part of the plan to be good stewards in the community."
The agreement between the Ravens and Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA), which passed unanimously, is unique because the Ravens will own and pay for the installation and maintenance of the solar panels. Typically, the MSA funds the bulk of improvements.
Baltimore County-based Lumina Solar will design and install the system. The Ravens have been in discussions with the company for about a year. In 2016, the Ravens installed more than 1,200 solar panels at the Under Armour Performance Center.
The Ravens' sustainability efforts are well-rooted. In 2013, M&T Bank Stadium became the first existing NFL stadium to achieve LEED Gold certification.
The Ravens are in their second season of game-time hand-sorting recyclable materials to boost diversion and better understand waste characterization. The Ravens recently rolled out a program in collaboration with the Mayor's office to help with parking lot recycling and provide work for Baltimore youth. The team also expanded compost efforts and increased service frequency by 334% via Veteran Compost since last season.
