Daytona International Speedway

AGT Completes Solar Canopies For Daytona International Speedway

Daytona International Speedway (DIS) and a large private utility teamed up recently to build one of American professional sports’ biggest power installations. Advanced Green Technologies (AGT) completed the solar circuit, which includes more than 7,000 solar panels that generate electricity for the Speedway’s operations and the utility’s 4.8 million customers. The system will also prevent the emission of approximately 2,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to an average-sized vehicle driving 2 million laps in the Daytona Speedway, which is home to the Daytona 500.

With three canopy structures (located at the Midway, Sprint FANZONE, and Lot 10 parking area) covered with solar panels, the DIS solar-power system can generate approximately 2.1 megawatts (2,100 kilowatts), making it one of the top five U.S. professional sports facilities with solar-energy installations, according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association. The solar circuit also includes high-tech data-gathering tools, which the private utility will use in a multiyear research study to improve solar energy and smart grid technology integration.

In addition to generating electricity for the Speedway, the solar circuit complements technology already in place to modernize the stadium to help provide the very best experience for fans through more than 80,000 total square feet of engagement areas. “DAYTONA Rising: Reimagining an American Icon” is a $400 million redesign of DIS which includes five expanded and remodeled entrances that lead fans to a series of escalators and elevators, transporting them to three different concourse levels. Each level features spacious social areas along the nearly mile-long front stretch. The Speedway now features 101,500 permanent, wider, and more comfortable seats, twice as many restrooms, and three times as many concessions stand, transforming it into the world’s first motorsports stadium.

Technical Details

• Project Name: Daytona International Speedway
• Location: Daytona, Florida
• Completion: February 2016
• Project Size: 142 kW
• AGT Role: Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC)