Seahawks execs inspect new solar panels at the Qwest Field Events Center

The way the rains have been hammering Seattle over the past few months, I am not sure if this technology will actually prove beneficial or not. But Qwest Field’s Event Center — located next to the home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders — is getting 3,750 solar panels manufactured by Solyndra in an effort to reduce utility costs at the stadium complex. In announcing the new system, which will cover 80 percent of the roof, Paul Allen’s First and Goal Inc. indicated that the technology “maximizes sunlight even on cloudy days.”

That’s a good thing considering the weather we’ve had in recent weeks, though the sun was shining perfectly for a demonstration earlier today.

“We are committed to being good environmental stewards of this world-class facility and we hope these projects will serve as a catalyst to further support clean technology and resource conservation growth within Washington State and the Pacific Northwest,” said Peter McLoughlin, president of the Seahawks, Sounders FC and FGI.

The panels are projected to generate over 830,000 kWh of electricity annually, the equivalent of powering 95 Seattle area homes for a year. It is expected to be fully operational this summer, according to a press release issued by First and Goal.

Here’s more on the technology:

Using the latest thin-film technology, the panels will capture both direct and reflected sunlight acrossa unique 360 degree cylinder-type surface. The panels take advantage of the facility’s new white “cool roof”which conserves energy by reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the roof surface and lowering the need forbuilding cooling.

Now, if they could just do something about AT&T’s wireless coverage at Qwest, we’d all be happy.

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