NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR unveils world's largest solar powered track.

Published Oct. 12, 2010 10:17 p.m. ET

foxsports

Birdsall Services Group (BSG) and Evolution Energies announced itsparticipation in developing the world's largest solar-powered sportsfacility.

Earlier this summer, NASCAR unveiled a 25-acre solar array in a former parking lot adjacent to the 2.5-mile track at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

The 3-megawatt, ground-mounted photovoltaic solar energy system isnow online and tied into the grid, with enough power to operate the entire raceway and 1,000 homes nearby.

BSG and Evolution Energies worked with both NASCAR and Pocono Raceway to develop the system, which consists of 40,000 American-made photovoltaic modules so large it can be seen from outer space.

The solar array will produce 72-million kilowatt hours of energy over the next 20 years, enough to offset more than 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Part of BSG's role was to provide energy consulting, construction administration, geotechnical engineering, and site development services that helped bring this project to fruition.

"This is an important milestone for Pocono Raceway and our sport,"said Brandon Igdalsky, president of Pocono Raceway. "Pocono Raceway is proud to be the first race track to power our sport with clean, renewable sunlight as the world's largest solar-powered sports facility. This proves that any business that truly wants to go green can do it."

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