Replace the Upper East seats with solar panels and power the stadium.... maybe the whole university. keep them vertical so you don't get reflection on the west. You can use the current seats and brackets as rails and replace them later as necessary if you ever need the seating again. Paint the upper east with some of that new 'solar paint' that iirc, the University is working on and has a patent. You can probably get a grant from the feds, state or even PUC for all of this.

It is the same for any early season outdoor game anywhere in Texas. In the SWC conference Rice did not play any day games until the last part of October. There was no lousy television contract forcing us to play 11am games.[/align]

(04-14-2022 11:50 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 06:08 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 05:45 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 12:59 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 09:35 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  I'm not sure you CAN shade the east.
...

Sure it can be done. Build it off the front of the upper deck and extend it out over the lower seating. That's something very easily done if the money is in hand. An architect designs that in his sleep.

Here's a link to and image from a 2011 Rice History Corner post about a 1966 architect's design for a shade structure/"roof" for Rice Stadium:

https://ricehistorycorner.com/2011/08/25...e-stadium/



As Melissa Kean mentioned in her post, Bud Adams, owner of the then-Houston Oilers, was smack-dab in the middle of all this."

Sure you can do this... as it extends over most of the playing field.... but the design proposed by Ourland probably wouldn't do much past about 2pm. The sun would be over the west stands and probably shining halfway up or more the lower east stands. Between 3 and 6pm, it would be worthless

No awning would be perfect, particularly one that Rice is willing to pay for, but it would go a long way in improving the comfort level of the fans on that side. Yes, anyone sitting toward the bottom gets to fry during the second half.

We never had to talk about shielding fans from the sun in the 80's and 90's, because all our games kicked off at night. Now it's a legit concern being that television partners have us starting at 11am and 2:30 in the afternoon. That sun and hot concrete in September and October makes attending a game at Rice Stadium unbearable. As long as Rice has the room to do it, why not seriously consider it? It's something that could really set Rice Stadium apart from most other venues throughout the country. I don't know of any other college Stadium that has an awning over its seating.

(04-21-2022 11:33 AM)75src Wrote:  It is the same for any early season outdoor game anywhere in Texas. In the SWC conference Rice did not play any day games until the last part of October. There was no lousy television contract forcing us to play 11am games.[/align]

(04-14-2022 11:50 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 06:08 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 05:45 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 12:59 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Sure it can be done. Build it off the front of the upper deck and extend it out over the lower seating. That's something very easily done if the money is in hand. An architect designs that in his sleep.

Here's a link to and image from a 2011 Rice History Corner post about a 1966 architect's design for a shade structure/"roof" for Rice Stadium:

https://ricehistorycorner.com/2011/08/25...e-stadium/



As Melissa Kean mentioned in her post, Bud Adams, owner of the then-Houston Oilers, was smack-dab in the middle of all this."

Sure you can do this... as it extends over most of the playing field.... but the design proposed by Ourland probably wouldn't do much past about 2pm. The sun would be over the west stands and probably shining halfway up or more the lower east stands. Between 3 and 6pm, it would be worthless

No awning would be perfect, particularly one that Rice is willing to pay for, but it would go a long way in improving the comfort level of the fans on that side. Yes, anyone sitting toward the bottom gets to fry during the second half.

We never had to talk about shielding fans from the sun in the 80's and 90's, because all our games kicked off at night. Now it's a legit concern being that television partners have us starting at 11am and 2:30 in the afternoon. That sun and hot concrete in September and October makes attending a game at Rice Stadium unbearable. As long as Rice has the room to do it, why not seriously consider it? It's something that could really set Rice Stadium apart from most other venues throughout the country. I don't know of any other college Stadium that has an awning over its seating.

Sigh


Does the SEC have a "lousy" television contract?
21st century football and athletic programs don't look at it as being "forced" to play on TV. They actually want people around the country watching their game on one of them newfangled teevees.

(04-21-2022 11:31 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Replace the Upper East seats with solar panels and power the stadium.... maybe the whole university. keep them vertical so you don't get reflection on the west. You can use the current seats and brackets as rails and replace them later as necessary if you ever need the seating again. Paint the upper east with some of that new 'solar paint' that iirc, the University is working on and has a patent. You can probably get a grant from the feds, state or even PUC for all of this.

C'mon Hambone. That would look just as bad to fans and TV viewers as empty seats. It's a stadium for God's sake.If it's not removed, at least make it appeasing to the eyes in some way.

(04-21-2022 11:48 AM)Frizzy Owl Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:33 AM)75src Wrote:  It is the same for any early season outdoor game anywhere in Texas. In the SWC conference Rice did not play any day games until the last part of October. There was no lousy television contract forcing us to play 11am games.[/align]

(04-14-2022 11:50 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 06:08 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 05:45 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  Here's a link to and image from a 2011 Rice History Corner post about a 1966 architect's design for a shade structure/"roof" for Rice Stadium:

https://ricehistorycorner.com/2011/08/25...e-stadium/



As Melissa Kean mentioned in her post, Bud Adams, owner of the then-Houston Oilers, was smack-dab in the middle of all this."

Sure you can do this... as it extends over most of the playing field.... but the design proposed by Ourland probably wouldn't do much past about 2pm. The sun would be over the west stands and probably shining halfway up or more the lower east stands. Between 3 and 6pm, it would be worthless

No awning would be perfect, particularly one that Rice is willing to pay for, but it would go a long way in improving the comfort level of the fans on that side. Yes, anyone sitting toward the bottom gets to fry during the second half.

We never had to talk about shielding fans from the sun in the 80's and 90's, because all our games kicked off at night. Now it's a legit concern being that television partners have us starting at 11am and 2:30 in the afternoon. That sun and hot concrete in September and October makes attending a game at Rice Stadium unbearable. As long as Rice has the room to do it, why not seriously consider it? It's something that could really set Rice Stadium apart from most other venues throughout the country. I don't know of any other college Stadium that has an awning over its seating.

Sigh


Does the SEC have a "lousy" television contract?
21st century football and athletic programs don't look at it as being "forced" to play on TV. They actually want people around the country watching their game on one of them newfangled teevees.

Agreed. In the old SWC days, the nine teams had, what, maybe two games on TV per weekend? Nowadays, every game is on TV. When any given Saturday has about 60 I-A games and another 35 or so I-AA games with TV crews (since all of scholarship D-I has video review now), you take the time slot that you get. Arkansas's only September night game last year was vs Texas. Texas's only other night game that month was against us, and that was because they have their own TV channel and knew only diehard UT fans would watch that game, so it wouldn't make ratings no matter what time slot it was in.

Football is scheduled for TV now. The in-stadium experience is a secondary consideration at best. Alabama @ Texas in week 2 this fall is likely going to be a noon kickoff because that's Fox's best time. Woe be unto the fans in DKR who will suffer through 95F+ and a beatdown.

Night games are a thing of the past, so adapt the stadium to that new reality whenever and where ever possible. That's my take. Sitting in direct sunlight in 100 degree heat is a very serious health concern. I can't blame anyone who won't do it.

(04-21-2022 12:26 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:31 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Replace the Upper East seats with solar panels and power the stadium.... maybe the whole university. keep them vertical so you don't get reflection on the west. You can use the current seats and brackets as rails and replace them later as necessary if you ever need the seating again. Paint the upper east with some of that new 'solar paint' that iirc, the University is working on and has a patent. You can probably get a grant from the feds, state or even PUC for all of this.

C'mon Hambone. That would look just as bad to fans and TV viewers as empty seats. It's a stadium for God's sake.If it's not removed, at least make it appeasing to the eyes in some way.

Based on our earlier conversations... The TV cameras would be on the east side, seeing the 'more full' west side. The only time you might see the upper east would be from a camera on the field.

The panels would be facing up and look just like the wooden or aluminum seating we currently have from beside or below them, other than a relatively unobtrusive wire that could be strategically placed and hidden. Heck, they could be designed to look like those old style cards they used to have people in the stands hold and look from above like anything we wanted... like spelling our Owls or a big R or anything. More, the 'paint' could be no different from the color of the concrete, OR it could be Rice Blue with Grey accents, or 'whatever else' to look much like tarps, or to enhance the look from overhead.

Maybe these are solar panels 360 days a year and on 5 game days, they rotate to face the west stands and project the view you would see if the upper deck weren't there?? That would be AWESOME.

If you're thinking outside the box, literally anything is possible... and again, I think you could get easy funding for anything that generated energy

I see where you're coming from, but I don't think it's either aesthetically or financially sensible. Solar panels are very expensive to purchase and install. I'm sure that it's much more cost prohibitive to simply install electrical wiring to the concessions from an existing source that's close to the stadium.

If solar panels are the answer to Rice Stadium's electricity problems, install them in a far corner of the parking lot, or onto the outside of the stadium on the west side, where there's plenty of sunlight.

Solar panels are actually pretty cheap IMO... and it IS as simple as installing them, pairing some simple wiring and connecting it to a converter and an inverter. I've done it myself and even bought some used panels... 360w for $50 (still over 80% efficient).... and new ones are iirc about $300. I mean sure, its a big upfront cost because we could generate so much energy... but compare that to our annual energy expense? What do you think the University spends each year on energy?? Multiply that by say 10 years (most panels have AT LEAST that long a warranty and many are more like 20-30) and then discount it back... The installation is a breeze, especially since we already have something to mount them to (the seating and/or brackets). You could literally (if you wanted to go cheap or start small) just set them on the concrete with a small footer/riser for heat dissipation.... though obviously securing them to the seating brackets or even just to each-other is a better idea. I can't imagine 40 panels secured end to end on a step would be subject to wind.

What makes them even cheaper for this application is that we are a research institution. We could research how to maximize used panels... we could research new materials (like the paint or some new panel material). We could research battery technology to manage the huge shifts in energy usage for stadiums and this could become a model for the thousands of pro, college, high school and community venues worldwide that get TONS of sun and yet sit idle most days.

I'd say install wind, but I'd be concerned about a bird problem... especially on our campus. Wouldn't look good on game day to find victims in the stands.


heck, lets engage our engineers on here... since I don't want to embarass myself any more than I normally do.... I'll speak in generalities and let you smart guys fill in the blanks.

The upper deck is (for arguments sake) 100 yards wide... and a typical solar panel is roughly 3 x 5 feet... so you can put roughly 60 of them end to end on a step. Let's say we only cover the top 10 rows to limit the intrusion and as a 'test'. That's 600 panels. At $300 each that's $180k. They weigh 40 pounds each so weight isn't an issue on the upper deck. Let's assume 300w. I understand the typical 300w panel will generate over 1kw/day in just 4 sunny hours.... so this seems conservative... that's 600kw/4 sunny hours/day if I'm right...

What is 600kw/day worth over 10 years? And only getting more expensive



Again, this is just using the top 10 rows...

(04-21-2022 12:54 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 12:26 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:31 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Replace the Upper East seats with solar panels and power the stadium.... maybe the whole university. keep them vertical so you don't get reflection on the west. You can use the current seats and brackets as rails and replace them later as necessary if you ever need the seating again. Paint the upper east with some of that new 'solar paint' that iirc, the University is working on and has a patent. You can probably get a grant from the feds, state or even PUC for all of this.

C'mon Hambone. That would look just as bad to fans and TV viewers as empty seats. It's a stadium for God's sake.If it's not removed, at least make it appeasing to the eyes in some way.

Based on our earlier conversations... The TV cameras would be on the east side, seeing the 'more full' west side. The only time you might see the upper east would be from a camera on the field.

The panels would be facing up and look just like the wooden or aluminum seating we currently have from beside or below them, other than a relatively unobtrusive wire that could be strategically placed and hidden. Heck, they could be designed to look like those old style cards they used to have people in the stands hold and look from above like anything we wanted... like spelling our Owls or a big R or anything. More, the 'paint' could be no different from the color of the concrete, OR it could be Rice Blue with Grey accents, or 'whatever else' to look much like tarps, or to enhance the look from overhead.

Maybe these are solar panels 360 days a year and on 5 game days, they rotate to face the west stands and project the view you would see if the upper deck weren't there?? That would be AWESOME.

If you're thinking outside the box, literally anything is possible... and again, I think you could get easy funding for anything that generated energy

I like this - particularly the emphasized part.

Team up with Daktronics to make the entire upper east one enormous display that includes solar power. Intersperse the LEDs with solar cells. Those hi-def displays are surprisingly lo-def when you get up close.

Or, for a low-energy electro-mechanical system, use Staver-designed magnetic flip digits. The entire upper east could do "the wave", and things like that.

While we're at it, remember that putting the TV cameras on the east side will require pulling up and reversing the "R" logo on the 50 yard line, as well as the "your conference here" logos.

(04-21-2022 02:13 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  The installation is a breeze,

We could get our friends at the IBEW - give something back in gratitude for the years of advertising.

(04-21-2022 12:26 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:31 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Replace the Upper East seats with solar panels and power the stadium.... maybe the whole university. keep them vertical so you don't get reflection on the west. You can use the current seats and brackets as rails and replace them later as necessary if you ever need the seating again. Paint the upper east with some of that new 'solar paint' that iirc, the University is working on and has a patent. You can probably get a grant from the feds, state or even PUC for all of this.

C'mon Hambone. That would look just as bad to fans and TV viewers as empty seats. It's a stadium for God's sake.If it's not removed, at least make it appeasing to the eyes in some way.

I'm serious about making it into a student community garden with planting boxes on the tiers...The students would then actually come out to the games and folks would see them on TV...oh, sure they wouldn't actually turn their heads to watch any of the games, but you can't have it all...at least people watching TV could have a chance to watch Rice plant Rice before harvesting Rice to eat Rice! Hopefully they wouldn't drop the Rice when they passed it...

(04-21-2022 03:47 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  at least people watching TV could have a chance to watch Rice plant Rice before harvesting Rice to eat Rice!

...while watching Rice beat Rice.

(04-21-2022 03:52 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 03:47 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  at least people watching TV could have a chance to watch Rice plant Rice before harvesting Rice to eat Rice!

...while watching Rice beat Rice.

you could have a new football slogan:

"Rice Football....Pho King Delicious!" or even better..."Rice Football....Pho King Awesome!"

LMAO. This is getting ridiculous. Nerds.

(04-21-2022 11:48 AM)Frizzy Owl Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:33 AM)75src Wrote:  It is the same for any early season outdoor game anywhere in Texas. In the SWC conference Rice did not play any day games until the last part of October. There was no lousy television contract forcing us to play 11am games.[/align]

(04-14-2022 11:50 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 06:08 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 05:45 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  Here's a link to and image from a 2011 Rice History Corner post about a 1966 architect's design for a shade structure/"roof" for Rice Stadium:

https://ricehistorycorner.com/2011/08/25...e-stadium/



As Melissa Kean mentioned in her post, Bud Adams, owner of the then-Houston Oilers, was smack-dab in the middle of all this."

Sure you can do this... as it extends over most of the playing field.... but the design proposed by Ourland probably wouldn't do much past about 2pm. The sun would be over the west stands and probably shining halfway up or more the lower east stands. Between 3 and 6pm, it would be worthless

No awning would be perfect, particularly one that Rice is willing to pay for, but it would go a long way in improving the comfort level of the fans on that side. Yes, anyone sitting toward the bottom gets to fry during the second half.

We never had to talk about shielding fans from the sun in the 80's and 90's, because all our games kicked off at night. Now it's a legit concern being that television partners have us starting at 11am and 2:30 in the afternoon. That sun and hot concrete in September and October makes attending a game at Rice Stadium unbearable. As long as Rice has the room to do it, why not seriously consider it? It's something that could really set Rice Stadium apart from most other venues throughout the country. I don't know of any other college Stadium that has an awning over its seating.

Sigh


Does the SEC have a "lousy" television contract?
21st century football and athletic programs don't look at it as being "forced" to play on TV. They actually want people around the country watching their game on one of them newfangled teevees.

No, but the SEC has teams people want to see play. Who is watching the Owls play FL whatever at 11am, other than a few diehards who still post here?

Comparing the SEC to CUSA with respect to anything football is just a non-starter.

(04-21-2022 08:54 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:48 AM)Frizzy Owl Wrote:  

(04-21-2022 11:33 AM)75src Wrote:  It is the same for any early season outdoor game anywhere in Texas. In the SWC conference Rice did not play any day games until the last part of October. There was no lousy television contract forcing us to play 11am games.[/align]

(04-14-2022 11:50 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 06:08 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Sure you can do this... as it extends over most of the playing field.... but the design proposed by Ourland probably wouldn't do much past about 2pm. The sun would be over the west stands and probably shining halfway up or more the lower east stands. Between 3 and 6pm, it would be worthless

No awning would be perfect, particularly one that Rice is willing to pay for, but it would go a long way in improving the comfort level of the fans on that side. Yes, anyone sitting toward the bottom gets to fry during the second half.

We never had to talk about shielding fans from the sun in the 80's and 90's, because all our games kicked off at night. Now it's a legit concern being that television partners have us starting at 11am and 2:30 in the afternoon. That sun and hot concrete in September and October makes attending a game at Rice Stadium unbearable. As long as Rice has the room to do it, why not seriously consider it? It's something that could really set Rice Stadium apart from most other venues throughout the country. I don't know of any other college Stadium that has an awning over its seating.

Sigh


Does the SEC have a "lousy" television contract?
21st century football and athletic programs don't look at it as being "forced" to play on TV. They actually want people around the country watching their game on one of them newfangled teevees.

No, but the SEC has teams people want to see play. Who is watching the Owls play FL whatever at 11am, other than a few diehards who still post here?

Comparing the SEC to CUSA with respect to anything football is just a non-starter.

Rice and the SEC are both FBS, and in FBS television sets the game times. That’s the way it is. Audience size is beside the point.

(04-21-2022 02:42 PM)Grungy Wrote:  I like this - particularly the emphasized part.

Team up with Daktronics to make the entire upper east one enormous display that includes solar power. Intersperse the LEDs with solar cells. Those hi-def displays are surprisingly lo-def when you get up close.

Or, for a low-energy electro-mechanical system, use Staver-designed magnetic flip digits. The entire upper east could do "the wave", and things like that.

While we're at it, remember that putting the TV cameras on the east side will require pulling up and reversing the "R" logo on the 50 yard line, as well as the "your conference here" logos.

Any pics of anything signifiant yet?

Putting the TV cameras on the east side would have them shooting into the afternoon sun. Not ideal.

(05-03-2022 09:14 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Putting the TV cameras on the east side would have them shooting into the afternoon sun. Not ideal.

then it'd be harder to see the play on the field...so, errr, what's the problem?