Thanks to a gift from three alternative energy companies, the PPD Miracle Field is ready to switch to solar energy for its operations.

Saturday, at a 10 a.m. press event, a 9,600-watt solar photovoltaic (PV) plant will be turned on to power electricity at Brax Stadium and the Miracle Field itself. The system is a gift from PowerSecure Solar, Advanced Energy Industries and Daetwyler Clean Energy, said L.S. (Bo) Dean Jr., director of the Miracle League of Wilmington, which operates the field.

“The infrastructure is in. The [solar] panels go in on Friday and Saturday, and the system goes live at the press event,” Dean said.

The event is open to the public.

He explained that the energy from this system will be sold to Duke Energy and used to offset the electric bill for the facility, which is owned by the City of Wilmington. Dean added that the system will include an educational feature describing its components and how they work together to convert the sun's energy into power.  

“Although not unique for the City of Wilmington, which now owns three building-based PV systems, the donated PV system is unique for the Miracle League system of accessible ball fields as this will be among the first Miracle Field in the nation that will feature this environmentally friendly and educational tool,” he said.

Two of the three energy partners are North Carolina businesses. PowerSecure Solar is headquartered in Wake Forest and Daetwyler is based in Huntersville. Advanced Energy is located in Fort Collins, Colo.

Access of Wilmington, a nonprofit organization, raised the funds for and manages the three universally accessible components of The Miracle League of Wilmington: Brax Stadium, PPD Miracle Field and the Kiwanis Miracle Playground, which is the largest accessible playground in the Southeast, according to Dean.