REC Group Powers New Solar Installation at MLS Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium

The sports facility, which is the home of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake club as well as the USL’s Real Monarchs, now showcases a 2.02 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) system spread across several solar parking structures and rooftops.

The grid-connected installation, featuring 6,414 315-watt REC Peak Energy 72-cell solar panels, was designed, engineered and constructed by Utah-based Auric Solar. The system is the largest solar array among MLS stadiums, and the fourth-largest overall among all major U.S. sports complexes. The Rio Tinto PV power plant will provide the largest energy offset—73%—of any professional sports venue in the country.

“The impressive Rio Tinto Stadium installation marks the latest example of a major U.S. sports facility going solar to reduce energy consumption, save money and become more sustainable,” said Zony Chen, Vice President of Global Market Intelligence and U.S. Business Development of REC Group. “For such an important project, our partners Auric Solar and distributor Russell-Pacific chose REC panels for their industry-leading quality, reliability and performance.”

“This project has positioned Real Salt Lake at the forefront of energy production and conservation in all of professional sports,” said Trent Vansice, Principal of Auric Solar. “Auric Solar is helping the club harness the power of the sun with a top-tier system built on time-tested, quality components that will power the lights high above the field for years to come.”

Auric Solar is the largest solar provider in Utah and Idaho and one of the fastest growing installers in the U.S., with average year-over-year growth of 173 percent. The company has built its business by focusing on customer experience, quality, and timeliness, and providing a financially responsible way to switch to solar power.

REC Peak Energy 72 Series solar panels are well-suited for large-scale commercial and utility projects. Based on the successful design of the company’s Peak Energy Series, the REC Peak Energy 72 Series produces more energy per unit area and is easy to install with made-to-fit cables. Backed by the company’s linear 25-year power output guarantee, the panels’ robust and durable design can support a large mechanical load. As a result of these and other balance of system advantages, most U.S. solar projects over 500 kilowatts in size in development or under construction employ larger, higher voltage panels, according to GTM Research.

For further information, please contact:

Agnieszka Schulze
Public Relations Manager, REC
Leopoldstr. 175, 80804 Munich, Germany
Phone +49 89 54 04 67 225  
Email agnieszka.schulze@recgroup.com

About REC Group

REC Group is the largest European brand of solar panels, with more than 15 million high-quality panels produced at the end of 2014. With integrated manufacturing from polysilicon to wafers, cells, panels and turnkey solar solutions, REC strives to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. In partnership with a sales channel of distributors, installers and EPCs, REC panels are installed globally. Founded in 1996, REC is a Bluestar Elkem company with headquarters in Norway and operational headquarters in Singapore. REC’s 1,800 employees worldwide generated revenues of $680 million in 2014.

Find out more about REC at www.recgroup.com