In effect, the team will be off the grid, although the system will remain tethered to feed unneeded juice back into the grid.
"The Eagles continue to lead the way," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.
Kudos came even from Steelers country, where a sustainability expert at Carnegie Mellon University called the plan "impressive" and said it would bring important visibility to alternative energy.
The Eagles say the plan also is good business. The team expects to save $60 million in energy costs over the next two decades.
"We never really accepted the notion that to do great by the environment would not be a wise business practice, or too costly," owner Jeffrey Lurie said.
The assertion about being the greenest stadium is tough to prove, given that no independent authority exists.
With the international trend of sports teams turning green, there are plenty of contenders, from Taiwan's 100 percent solar-powered Dragon Stadium, where panels cover the serpentine structure like scales, to the Stade de Suisse arena in Bern, Switzerland, also powered solely by solar.
In the United States, at least 18 professional sports stadiums have installed some solar power.
Nine more have been granted LEED certification, a green rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Then there's Pocono Raceway, where a $16 million array of solar panels has led NASCAR to proclaim it the world's largest solar-powered sports facility.
Lots more green upgrades are in the works. At least five more pro sports venues or organizations are considering going for an LEED rating. Comcast-Spectacor, owner of the Flyers and 76ers, is among them, according to company spokesman Ike Richman.
