Super Bowl 2024 is the first game in NFL history to be entirely powered by solar energy

The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in America, without a doubt, where everyone remains glued to their screens or crowd the stadium to support their favorite football team. However, the 2024 Super Bowl event went green and opted for solar-powered electricity to light up the grand event. It was made possible with the help of 621,000 solar panels, which were laid out in the desert and helped channel the necessary electricity to power the entire Allegiant Stadium, which is the home of the Super Bowl and Las Vegas Raiders, per CBS News.

The Allegiant Stadium has entered into a 25-year agreement with NV Energy to purchase power from the solar farm, which provides electricity in 60,000 homes outside the requirements of the stadium. Las Vegas happens to be a region that is sunny through most parts of the year, which makes it a perfect spot to start the sustainability initiative in and around the stadium. The best part is that this isn't the only sustainability program that the region has started.

They also work towards collecting rubber pellets from the surrounding areas, gathering food scraps from the restaurants on-site and instead of feeding them into the waste management system, it is used to feed the livestock and turn all the grass clippings from fields into composts. NV Energy has also developed innovative roof structures that lessen the demand for installing air conditioners in the stadium and has installed multiple efficiency systems like low-energy lighting, lighting control systems and air handling units.

However, their biggest accomplishment so far has been using 100% renewable solar energy to generate electricity for a vast unit like a whole stadium. "People sometimes get nervous about renewable power because they're not sure if it's going to be reliable," U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. She was in charge of inspecting the stadium's main electrical entry room, per the outlet. "The fact that renewable power can power a facility like this reliably should speak volumes about what could happen in other communities."

The solar farm in the region not only fulfills the electrical needs but also helps to charge up massive batteries to store the renewable solar energy, ensuring that it gives a five-hour power supply backup when the sun isn't charging the solar panels. As per a goal set by President Joe Biden, this advancement in technology is seen as a key component in transforming the U.S. power grid toward generating 100% environment-friendly electricity by 2035.

CEO of NV Energy, Doug Cannon, said the solar installation would supply more than 10 megawatts of power for the Super Bowl. This amount of energy is roughly equivalent to the consumption of 46,000 homes. "We have enough power for Usher and all of his lights and all the fanfare that'll be there," said Cannon about Usher's blazing performance at the Super Bowl half-time, which entertained the crowd. Sustainability was the most important thing in the back of everyone's mind while the Super Bowl-hosting stadium was being constructed, according to Las Vegas Raiders President, Sandra Douglass Morgan.

"When you come to a game, you may be thinking about just focusing on the game, but when they hear that and know that we're being conscious of our environmental footprint, hopefully, that guest will leave and have that same mindset when they go back home," Morgan said. The Kansas City Chiefs won their third Super Bowl title in the last five seasons by beating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25-22, on Sunday, per The New York Times. Besides a star-studded half-time show, songstress Taylor Swift was also spotted at the stadium to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who played as Kansas City Chief's tight end.