Amidst the dazzling lights of the Las Vegas Strip lies Allegiant Stadium, a sleek black marvel that serves as the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and a premier venue for various events. This 65,000-seat oasis stands tall against the harsh desert climate, prioritizing sustainability while offering guests a comfortable experience regardless of the scorching temperatures.

Built with green principles in mind, Allegiant Stadium boasts LEED Gold certification for its commitment to responsible resource use. Notably, it became the first NFL stadium powered solely by renewable energy in October 2023. However, maintaining cool temperatures within the vast structure without incurring astronomical cooling costs posed a significant challenge.

Enter Microsoft Power BI, a sophisticated sustainability dashboard that optimizes the stadium’s chiller plant operations. As Sandra Douglass Morgan, Raiders President, explains, “We’ve built energy efficiency into the stadium’s infrastructure and optimized our building management system with a Power BI dashboard that ensures we keep our guests comfortable in the most effective way possible.“

The collaboration between the Raiders and Microsoft stemmed from shared values regarding sustainability and community responsibility, as noted by Scott Erdmann, Raiders Senior Director for Corporate Partnerships. “Microsoft has deep expertise and experience that really helps us unlock the value of our data, and we know that Microsoft is always developing new, leading-edge technologies like the Cloud for Sustainability.“

Joseph Wright, Allegiant Stadium Senior Director of Facilities Operation, sheds light on the dashboard’s functionality: “With the Power BI dashboard, we can take into account the weather, the forecasted temperature, and the electrical consumption rate for the day and make an informed decision about how we’ll run the plant for the day.” This real-time data analysis ensures optimal comfort for fans while saving the organization money.

“As for the fans,” Wright adds, “one of the most rewarding parts of my job is standing inside the stadium on one of those 114-degree days and watching people enter the building with a sigh of relief as they step into a cool, pleasant 73-degree environment.“

Related Article: Microsoft Signs Carbon Removal Deal with Nature-Based Startup Grassroots Carbon

Looking ahead, Morgan expresses optimism about the future: “The energy dashboard built on Microsoft technology is going to be a great way to benchmark as we strive for a greener future. It’s something that the Raiders, Allegiant Stadium, and Microsoft are proud of and dedicated to, and something that helps us make good on our commitment to the environment.”