In recent years, a number of pro sports teams have seen solar panels installed at their home venues. It appears the Washington Redskins aim to join the list.

According to the Washington Post, the NFL team will soon announce plans to install solar a big energy system at FedEx Field. Composed of 8,000 solar panels, the 2-megawatt (MW) system is expected to generate enough electricity to offset the facility’s annual electricity consumption by about 15 percent. The array will also create a covered carport, featuring 10 electric-vehicle charging stations and enough spaces for 850 cars.

The Redskins organization will enlist NRG Energy, a New Jersey-based energy services company, to handle the design and installation of the project.

Speaking about the Skins’ soon-to-be-announced solar plans, David Krichavsky, the NFL’s director of media affairs, noted that a number of other teams already have in place — or are working on — solar projects of their own. The Philadelphia Eagles are making progress on a hybrid solar and wind project, for instance, and the Seattle Seahawks’ Qwest Field is adorned with solar panels. The New England Patriots have a 525-kilowatt solar array at their practice facility.

“It [installing solar] makes great sense from the public awareness standpoint, but it’s also good business sense,” Krichavsky said. “It’s one of those things that’s a double or triple win. . . . We believe that we are responsible in our community to act responsibly on multiple fronts, but also in environmental leadership.”

Whether football will happen this fall remains an open question — as is whether the Redskins will ever again have a winning season… (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.) What remains certain is that more and more sports teams are looking to solar power and other renewable sources of electricity to reduce annual consumption of conventional energy.

Image: Artist’s rendering courtesy of NRG Energy.