Solar power at Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway as seen on Google Earth. The 25-acre solar farm is at the top left..

This is the weekend of the Pocono 500, or as it's officially known this year, the "5-Hour Energy 500," and many NASCAR fans are catching their first glimpse of the massive 3 megawatt 25-acre solar farm installed at Pocono Raceway last August.

Pocono Raceway solar farm will power today's race -The Scranton Times-Tribune

From the official Pocono Raceway Solar Project page:

In August of 2010 the 3MW Pocono Solar Project came online after just 3 months of construction. Consisting of nearly 40,000 American made photovoltaic modules covering 25 acres, the Project will produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy over the next 20 years. The environmental attributes associated with the system will offset more than 3,100 Metric Tons of carbon dioxide annually, Carbon Dioxide emissions from 106,529 propane BBQ grills and it will generate enough power to provide the electricity needs for close to 1,000 homes beyond the power needs of the Raceway.

According to the article that appeared on nascar.com last year, this is the largest solar-powered sports facility in the world, more than twice as large as the runner-up, a 1.2 megawatt stadium in Taiwan.

NASCAR.COM - Pocono prepares to reap benefits of its solar farm - Jul 30, 2010

The solar farm is just a part of Pocono Raceway's "Go Green" program - albeit a massively impressive part!

Go Green Solar Project - Pocono Raceway