Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia (Planned)
Illustration courtesy SolarBlue and Philadelphia Eagles
When the Philadelphia Eagles announced their plan to ring Lincoln Financial Field with eighty 20-foot (6-meter) vertical wind turbines last fall, the manufacturer heralded the project's "strong iconic appeal." "Renewable energy can also look like a piece of art," said Scott Weinbrandt, then chief executive of Helix Wind of Poway, California, in a press release the company put out after the artistic renderings of the project appeared on Monday Night Football last November.
But Helix Wind said in its most recent quarterly report to investors that it is $47 million in debt and has insufficient capital and personnel to fulfill orders and Weinbrandt, no longer at the helm, is now suing the company for breach of contract.
The Eagles would not detail the reasons for delay in their plan to make their stadium energy self-sufficient, announced in November 2010. "I know the project is still a go," said Zeiger, the team spokesman. "The goal is to get as independent on energy as we can be."
Under the venture, as originally unveiled, the Eagles contracted with SolarBlue, of Orlando, Florida, to install the wind turbines and about 2,500 solar panels in a bid to make the facility "the world's first major sports stadium to convert to self-generated renewable energy," as the company says in a release on its website. The $30 million project also included a 7.6-megawatt cogeneration plant, which could run-according to NRDC-on biodiesel or natural gas. The team and SolarBlue said the project would provide more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity over the next 20 years, more than enough to meet the stadium's needs.
The Eagles, whose "Go Green" slogan is a play on the team's primary color, have been working on environmental issues for years with Hershkowitz and the NRDC. Under team owner Jeffrey Lurie, they have reduced energy consumption at the stadium by 50 percent and spearheaded a major recycling program.
But the Eagles' energy plan included at least one risky technology choice. "Small wind turbines are more expensive and produce less energy relative to their size than big turbines," says wind energy expert Paul Gipe, an industry consultant. "This is a limitation of the physics." Not only such rooftop installations less cost effective, they typically get less wind than anticipated because the building itself interferes with the air flow, he says.
Neither the Eagles nor SolarBlue would respond to further telephone messages or emails regarding the project, leaving the venture's current status as uncertain as who will win this season's Super Bowl.
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