Distributed Energy Resources, GHG Emissions, Commercial, Solar  -  August 15, 2024

Intuit Dome Deploys Solar, Battery Storage

The Intuit Dome, a new arena and home of the NBA Los Angeles Clippers upon opening August 15, features two megawatts of rooftop solar panels and 11 megawatts of on-site battery storage that contribute to the facility operating carbon free.

The 17,700-seat, all-electric arena is located in Inglewood, California, and will not produce any pollution from burning natural gas or other fossil fuels.

The mechanical engineering for the arena was conducted by Henderson Engineers, who incorporated sustainable technologies like heat pumps, heat recovery chillers, highly efficient mag-bearing chillers and arena bowl under-seat supply air distribution, an innovative, energy-efficient system that provides ventilation and air conditioning from underneath the seats instead of from ducts hanging overhead. 

The HVAC system is configured to provide the seating bowl, locker rooms, and player and coach areas with 100% outside air, creating a clean indoor air quality environment and limiting energy use by taking advantage of Southern California’s climate.

“With only 30 NBA teams to go around, any new arena within the league provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a bold statement. One of the major goals of this project was to raise the bar when it comes to the level of amenities at a sports facility to ensure memorable experiences for millions of fans for decades to come,” said Eric Taylor, senior mechanical engineer at Henderson Engineers. “The owner and design teams collectively also wanted to push the boundaries of how to sustainably build and operate an arena, and we were intentional about Intuit Dome being a net positive for the environment and a shining example for other sports venues in the future.”

In addition to mechanical, Henderson Engineers provided fire and life safety design services for the project, while 30% of its scope was in collaboration with PBS Engineers. The design team also included AECOM, Anderson Barker Architects, City Design Studio, Hood Design Studio, Labib Funk & Associates, S20 Consultants, and Walter P. Moore. AECOM Hunt was the general contractor and Turner Construction served as the construction manager.

AECOM served as lead designer of Intuit Dome, which is a solar-optimized building with a shell that will balance natural light and solar heat gain, according to a statement.

The design team and Clippers are working toward initiatives that will earn Intuit Dome a LEED Platinum certification.

Intuit Dome will be naturally ventilated and fully electric through batteries and solar power with enough on-site energy storage to power a basketball game or concert, and have no net new GHG emissions.

Intuit Dome also committed to the annual monitoring of GHG emissions and transportation impacts, a first for a large-scale venue and which will ensure sustainability goals and promises are met as well as provide the data to help drive broader community transformation to a low-carbon future.