For many NASCAR fans, the idea of being environmentally sensitive means actually using the Porta-Johns in the infield. But Pocono Raceway is taking steps to become a world leader in the use of solar energy. Yes, Pocono.
The New York Times -- which is really a much better paper than you've been led to believe, trust me -- is profiling Pocono's move to solar energy. (The article rather cluelessly describes the track as "fuel-belching," but still.) Pocono will install 40,000 photovoltaic panels on what had been a parking lot across the street from the track. The panels will generate an estimated three megawatts of electricity and should come online next spring.
As always, while the end result is an environmentally beneficial one, the prime motivator was money. While the project will run an estimated $15 million to $17 million, it'll pay for itself soon enough; deregulation of local utilities would have raised the track's annual power bill to up to half a million dollars. The track will also sell off a fair portion of its power to the local grid.
This could be a harbinger for the future; several stadiums, including the homes of the San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Indians, already use solar energy. And according to the developers that worked with Pocono, numerous other pro and college teams are looking to jump on the solar trend.
And this is only the start! Coming up, all cars will be hybrids, and then later they'll be battery-powered! NASCAR tracks will have weight sensors to make sure only the in-shape will be allowed in -- to encourage fitness, you know -- and no one will be allowed to consume more than three beers in a raceday afternoon! And it'll all be owned by the Chinese -- aw, relax, I'm kidding. But I'm sure there will be conspiracy theories that spring up around this, too.
So in the end, Pocono is doing a very good thing here. But don't worry -- it's still okay to hate the racing.
A Fuel-Belching NASCAR Track Has Big Plans For Solar Power [New York Times]
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