WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monumental Sports & Entertainment and WGL Energy Services, Inc. (WGL Energy), a WGL Holdings, Inc. company (NYSE: WGL), today announced a partnership that will allow Verizon Center, home to the Washington Wizards, Capitals, Mystics and Valor, as well as concerts and other entertainment events, to purchase power from a new solar facility in Maryland.
The solar electricity purchased by Monumental Sports & Entertainment to power Verizon Center will be sourced from an offsite, third-party owned solar facility in Frederick County, Md., and bundled with national solar renewable energy credits, allowing the sports and entertainment facility to operate using 25 percent solar energy.
“Offsite renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors within the energy industry,” said Dr. Louis J. Hutchinson III, Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for WGL. “As renewable energy offerings continue to mature, it's exciting to see the sports industry play a major role in sourcing offsite renewable energy."
“Sustainability is at the core of our operations across all of Monumental Sports & Entertainment,” said Dave Touhey, President of Venues at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “We are excited to expand our energy relationship with WGL Energy by entering into this new partnership to bring more renewable energy to Verizon Center.”
Through this partnership with WGL Energy, Monumental Sports & Entertainment will reduce its carbon footprint and support the environment, while benefitting from electricity price certainty at Verizon Center during the long-term contract.
Beginning in late 2017, Verizon Center will receive about 4.7 million kWh per year of energy from 3.5 MW of the solar project. The carbon emissions avoided from the annual solar energy use are equivalent to taking nearly 700 cars off the road for one year.
Verizon Center is a member of the Green Sports Alliance, and through this unique new partnership, the Wizards, Capitals, Mystics and Valor are among the first professional sports teams powered by offsite renewable energy.
“While arenas or ballparks often have obstacles for installing on-site energy sources due to limited space, offsite energy provides opportunities for teams across the country to benefit from renewable energy,” said Justin Zeulner, Executive Director at Green Sports Alliance. “Verizon Center and its teams are setting a prime example of promoting sustainable communities among their passionate fan base.”
“Professional sports facilities, such as Verizon Center, consume incredible amounts of electricity, and switching to solar power can really reduce costs,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “This highly innovative project is part of a trend being led by major corporations, which see a significant return on their investment, while improving air quality in communities across America.”
WGL has served as the official energy and greening partner of Verizon Center since 2015. Through the partnership, WGL Energy has donated carbon offsets to counterbalance emissions from Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics home games, concerts, and other events. Last year over 3,123 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from 201 events at the arena were counterbalanced with carbon offsets. This is equivalent to avoiding the consumption of over 351,000 gallons of gasoline or taking 660 cars off the road for 1 year.
About WGL Energy
WGL Energy delivers a full spectrum of energy offerings, including electricity, natural gas, renewable energy, carbon reduction, distributed generation and energy efficiency solutions provided by WGL Energy Services, Inc. and WGL Energy Systems, Inc. To learn more, visit us at www.wglenergy.com. Follow us at @wglenergy on Twitter and WGL Energy on LinkedIn.
About WGL
WGL (NYSE: WGL), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a leading source for clean, efficient and diverse energy solutions. With activities and assets across the U.S., WGL consists of Washington Gas, WGL Energy, WGL Midstream and Hampshire Gas. WGL provides natural gas, electricity, green power and energy services, including generation, storage, transportation, distribution, supply and efficiency. Our calling as a company is to make energy surprisingly easy for our employees, our community and all our customers. Whether you are a homeowner or renter, small business or multinational corporation, state and local or federal agency, WGL is here to provide Energy Answers. Ask Us. For more information, visit us at www.wgl.com.
About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment, located in Washington, D.C., is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. MSE owns and operates five professional sports teams: the AFL’s Washington Valor and Baltimore Brigade, NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals, WNBA’s Washington Mystics. The company is also co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid, and owns and operates Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., which is annually ranked as one of the top venues in the world by industry publications Billboard, Pollstar and Venues Today. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also manages Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals and EagleBank Arena on George Mason University’s campus. The District of Columbia and Events DC are building a new sports and entertainment facility in Southeast DC on the St. Elizabeth’s East campus. The facility will feature a state-of-the art training facility for the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics and will also include a 4,200 seat arena which will become the new home of the Washington Mystics. The facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also co-owns and operates Monumental Sports Network (MSN) with the NBC Sports Group. MSN is the mid-Atlantic region’s top destination for exclusive fan experiences and original sports content across desktop, tablet, mobile and OTT streaming devices. Visit www.monumentalsports.com.
