Comcast Spectacor, owner of the Wells Fargo Center arena and the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Philadelphia Flyers, has reached a long-term agreement with retail power supplier Constellation that will introduce 100% renewable energy to the Wells Fargo Center, the home arena of the Flyers.
The renewable energy commitment occurs in conjunction with Comcast Spectacor’s $250 million redesign of the venue. This agreement will completely power the facility with wind energy and will greatly reduce the arena’s carbon footprint, says Constellation.
Constellation will supply the Wells Fargo Center with power from a 9 MW portion of the HillTopper wind project under a separate long-term power purchase agreement with project owner Enel Green Power. HillTopper is located in Logan County, Ill., and is expected to enter into service by the end of this year. The same project is also selling energy to Bloomberg LP and General Motors.
“The Wells Fargo Center is in the midst of an extensive redesign that is transforming all aspects of the complex, and this renewable energy initiative plays an important role,” states Dave Scott, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor.
The power and renewable energy certificates purchased from Constellation will help Comcast Spectacor prevent the emission of more than 14,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas annually, according to Constellation’s estimates.
“Constellation congratulates Comcast Spectacor on their progress toward their aspirational sustainability goals,” says Mark Huston, president of Constellation’s national retail business. “We are committed to the development of clean energy solutions and are pleased that, through our CORe product, which is designed to increase access to renewable energy for commercial and industrial customers, and collaboration with Enel Green Power, we are able to help Comcast Spectacor sustainably power the Wells Fargo Center and contribute to development of the Hilltopper wind project.”
“As we envision a future with 100 percent renewable energy, projects like this are important in helping us get there,” adds Susan Jin Davis, chief sustainability officer of Comcast NBCUniversal, which operates Comcast Spectacor. “And when we look at ways to reduce our carbon footprint, we know energy is one of our biggest areas of opportunity, so this is another great example of finding solutions to be more environmentally responsible.”
Photo by wahrscheinlich Philadelphia Flyers [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
