HEAT, NRG Energy Launch Business And Clean Energy Partnership

MIAMI, FL – The Miami HEAT and NRG today announced a business and clean energy partnership that brings the Miami HEAT a powerful new sponsor while transforming the existing East Plaza at the AmericanAirlines Arena into an elegant solar pavilion. For NRG, the partnership also brings access to millions of fans and Miami visitors and showcases its clean energy products and services. The partnership will provide the HEAT a long-term advisor on sustainable energysolutions for the well-known venue.

“We are currently celebrating the 15th anniversary of AmericanAirlines Arena and as a result, we’ve recommitted ourselves and redoubled our efforts to remain at the forefront of the green movement,” said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations. “We’ve partnered with NRG because they are the game changers of the clean energy industry. They have the creativity to visualize the solar array project and unequivocal expertise to carry it out.”

NRG Energy has a proven track record of equipping some of the nation’s greatest sports venues with tailor-made renewable energy solutions, showcasing the potential and aesthetic clean energy can provide to homes and businesses today. In Miami, the energy provider will install a solar pavilion on the east side of the AmericanAirlines Arena.  The new pavilion will be dotted throughout with circles spanning 16 to24 feet in diameter and will appear to be sky lights, but are actually translucent solar panels utilizing Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) solar technology. The new solar panel-integrated pavilion is set for completion in November 2015.

“We are in the midst of a social movement that demands attention to clean energy, and with the Miami HEAT, one of the most well-known international sports brands, as our partner, we hope to continue to serve as catalysts to this movement,” said David Crane, CEO of NRG. “Leading organizations like the Miami HEAT are taking the reins and leading fans in the charge of energy freedom. As the world’s perspective on energy continues to evolve it will be critically important for business leaders—foreign and domestic—to see and invest in the incredible potential renewable energy, especially built with design aesthetic in mind.”

The solar pavilion is the latest example of the Miami HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena’s commitment to environmentally sound principles and practices. Last week, the AmericanAirlines Arena became the first sports and entertainment facility in the world to receive LEED Gold recertification cementing its status as an international leader in operational sustainability. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council’s leading rating system for designing, constructing and operating the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient, and highest performing buildings.

With this relationship, NRG further establishes a showcase in Miami for its clean, reliable and sustainable energy solutions to U.S. and international audiences. In addition to the Official Solar Energy Sponsor/Partner of the Miami HEAT and the AmericanAirlines Arena, NRG also becomes:

About NRG
NRG is leading a customer-driven change in the U.S. energy industry by delivering cleaner and smarter energychoices, while building on the strength of the nation’s largest and most diverse competitive power portfolio. A Fortune 250 company, we create valuethrough reliable and efficient conventional generation while driving innovation in solar and renewable power, electric vehicle ecosystems, carbon capture technology and customer-centric energy solutions. Our retail electricity providers serve almost 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the country. More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.