Taiwan unveils solar-powered stadium

Taiwan has officially unveiled Asia's first fully solar-powered stadium just ahead of The World Games 2009 in July.

Located in the city of Kaohsiung, the steel rod structure is shaped like a dragon, a creature associated with good fortune in Chinese culture. It has 50,000 seats and is equipped with 8,844 solar panels placed on top of the 14,155sq m roof.

Officials said the panels are capable of generating 1.14 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually, which is more than is needed to power the facility's 3,300 lights and two giant TV screens. They added that on days when the stadium is unused, energy fed into the grid will be able to provide the surrounding neighborhood with up to 80 per cent of its energy needs.

Built at a cost of $150m and designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, it is Asia's largest solar-powered stadium.

The facility is also larger in scale and solar power output than Switzerland's high-profile Stade de Suisse, located in Bern, which seats 32,000 and produces 700,000kWh annually using its rooftop solar array. And unlike the 19,000-seat Beijing National Indoor Stadium, which has 1,124 solar panels, Taiwan's counterpart is fully solar powered.

Taiwanese officials say the stadium's energy production output will save 660 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

In addition to the solar array, the designers have also attempted to limit the environmental impact of the stadium, committing to only use raw materials that have been sourced from Taiwan and are 100 per cent reusable. The site is also situated on a 19 hectare open space, with nearly seven hectares reserved for the future development of integrated public green spaces, bike paths, sports parks and an ecological pond.

The facility will be the main stadium for the World Games. Afterwards it will be used for rugby and other athletic events, including home matches for the Taiwanese national football team.