News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

A newly completed stadium in Taiwan is a fine example of renewable technology and contemporary design with the environment in mind. It is the showpiece as the Taiwanese welcomes people from around the globe to the 2009 world games.
 
When you see it from the air, the “green” stadium has a dragon shaped appearance and in Taiwanese culture, this is a hope for good fortune. Take a closer look at this dragons scales and you will see eight thousand eight hundred and forty four solar panels! The solar panels account for all of the energy necessary to power the stadium. The roof has an area measurement of 14,155 square meters and the panels will produce approximately 1.14 Gigawatt hours of electrical power each year. This quantity of electricity is adequate enough to up to eight percent of the surrounding area neighbors when the stadium is quiet. The stadium itself features two huge TV screens and thirty three hundred stadium lights.

The stadium cost one hundred fifty million dollars to build and holds fifty five thousand viewers. Japanese architect Toyo Ito created the design; he is accountable for its unique and fashionable statement.

The Taiwanese solar stadium was constructed in the city of Kaohsiung. These solar powered stadiums are becoming popular as the country of Switzerland also has a stadium of parallel profile in Bern, which can seat thirty two thousand people, and it generates seven hundred thousand Kilowatt hours every year. Beijing National Indoor Stadium also boasts solar power integration within its design. With one thousand one hundred twenty four solar panels and seating for nineteen thousand spectators, it is a tidy little investment into the future. All the same, Taiwan still has the title of owning the largest solar powered stadium anywhere in the world today. It is thought by experts that the solar production in the facility will save on about 660 tons of CO² per annum.

There is more to the Taiwan stadium legacy. The design people have done much to avoid the impact the stadium may have on the environment. The building materials are all home grown, acquired within the country itself and all are one hundred percent recyclable or reusable. Surrounding the stadium are nineteen hectares of barren space, seven hectares kept for incorporating public green space, bicycle pathways, sports parks and even an ecological pond. Before the project even broke ground, the contractor began with environmental thoughts in mind by transplanting all the plants, which were on the site beforehand.

Obviously, it is a monumental task to build a stadium of this size. Quite a job of massive proportion and costing many millions dollars. There are also enormous numbers of workers required not to mention a large power supply necessary during construction. Keeping all this in mind, it is amazing that it only took them two years to finish the environmentally friendly project. To generate the power needed the roof panels capture the sun’s rays and powers the entire facility. When it was initially tested, all were nicely surprised when it only took six minutes to fully power the entire lighting system within the stadium.

The Taiwanese have done a marvelous job building this renewable energy showpiece and the world will have an opportunity to see it in person at the games. What a conversation piece it will make.