Following  a league-wide trend, the NY Jets announced the completion of a solar power system at the team's headquarters and training center last week.

After only eight weeks of construction, the 3,000 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the team's headquarters and training center in Florham Park, New Jersey has begun generating power.

Designed to generate over 750,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, the project will reduce the facility's CO2 emissions by 540 metric tons each year, which is equivalent to taking over 100 cars off the road.

Installation of the Yingli Solar panels, which was completed by SunDurance Energy, represents the largest photovoltaic (PV) system to date at a NFL team headquarters.

"This project is the first of many green initiatives on behalf of the team, and we are proud to be green in color and also in deed," said Thad Sheely, New York Jets' Executive Vice President of Finance and Stadium Development.  "We chose the right partners and are thrilled about what this installation will do for our organization, our community, and hopefully for inspiring the entire league."

In early September, the National Football League, along with the the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer publicly encouraged their teams and facilities to begin using solar power.

Energy savings are especially important to football stadiums, most of which only host games 10 times a year, but consume enormous amounts of power 365 days a year. Although solar power can't completely offset this energy drain, it's a step in the right direction.

With millions of fans around the world, major professional sports leagues (and even NASCAR!) are in a unique position to demonstrate the savings and practicality of renewable energy.