It’s hard to imagine the United States today without football and soccer, two of America’s most-watched sports. And when it comes to New England’s signature teams, Gillette Stadium is home to two of them: the New England Patriots and New England Revolution.
With six world championship wins to their name, the New England Patriots bring together more than half a million fans each season. Their accomplishments include being the only NFL (National Football League) team to date to play in 11 world championships. The New England Revolution, on the other hand, is one of Major League Soccer’s most successful teams. It was a founding member and is celebrating a quarter century this year. During the club’s first 20 years, it advanced to MLS Cup five times. In 2007, the Revolution brought home the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, and followed that up with a North American SuperLiga title in 2008.
In New England, Enel’s North American headquarters, the Patriots and Revolution are giving their fans even more reason to cheer: this will be their most sustainable year in history, thanks to their new partnership with the Enel Group.
Gillette Stadium has never been greener
As the Official Energy Partner of Kraft Sports + Entertainment, Enel supports all of the energy delivery and supply initiatives of the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, and Patriot Place.
Gillette Stadium was built in 2002 with sustainability top of mind. The Kraft Group, the holding company behind the Patriots, designed the stadium to yield environmental benefits and cost savings through minimized energy use, sustainable wastewater treatment, and a photovoltaic power system.
Since 2015, Kraft Sports + Entertainment has worked closely with Enel X to maximize energy savings through demand-response programs and resiliency initiatives. These programs provide standby capacity to prevent blackouts and other grid disturbances when the electric grid encounters emergency conditions, and also result in significant savings on electricity bills.
Paving the way to sustainable sports and entertainment in New England
We kicked off our partnership by powering the Patriots 2019 Kickoff Weekend on 8 September with renewable energy credits from Enel Green Power’s US wind farms - and this is only the beginning. We’re working with Kraft Sports + Entertainment to evaluate other sustainability initiatives for Gillette Stadium, including smart charging electric vehicle stations and flexible resources such as battery storage, generators, and a microgrid.
Kraft Sports + Entertainment aims to make Gillette Stadium the world’s first stadium that operates independently from the grid, and our partnership could make this goal reality. The future of the New England Patriots is green, and we’re excited to be a part of their journey as they break records on the field and around the world.