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The Miami HEAT and NRG announced a business and clean energy partnership that brings the Miami HEAT a powerful new sponsor while transforming the existing East Plaza at the AmericanAirlines Arena into an elegant solar pavilion. The partnership will provide the HEAT with a long-term advisor on sustainable energy solutions for the well-known venue, and will showcase NRG’s clean energy products and services to millions of the HEAT fans.
“We are currently celebrating the 15th anniversary of AmericanAirlines Arena and as a result, we’ve recommitted ourselves and redoubled our efforts to remain at the forefront of the green movement,” said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations.
Under the partnership, NRG intends to install a solar pavilion on the east side of the AmericanAirlines Arena. The new pavilion will be dotted throughout with circles spanning 16 to 24 feet in diameter and will appear to be sky lights, but are actually translucent solar panels utilizing Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) solar technology. The new solar panel-integrated pavilion is scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2015.
“We are in the midst of a social movement that demands attention to clean energy, and with the Miami HEAT, one of the most well-known international sports brands, as our partner, we hope to continue to serve as catalysts to this movement,” said Tom Doyle, president and CEO of NRG Renew. “Leading organizations like the Miami HEAT are taking the reins and leading fans in the charge of energy freedom. As the world’s perspective on energy continues to evolve it will be critically important for business leaders—foreign and domestic—to see and invest in the incredible potential of renewable energy, especially built with design aesthetic in mind.”
The solar pavilion is the latest example of the Miami HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena’s commitment to environmentally sound principles and practices. In 2009, the Arena secured its first LEED certification for Existing Buildings. Most recently, in December 2014, AmericanAirlines Arena became the first sports and entertainment facility in the world to receive LEED Gold recertification cementing its status as an international leader in operational sustainability.
