Next time you’re at a Major League Soccer game in D.C. (might be awhile), look up. The huge canopies over the 20,000 seats at Audi Field are now covered with solar panels.

The panels were installed in the spring, but went live in August. They system will provide about one-third of the power used at the stadium — and an even bigger portion during the pandemic, as long there are no spectators in the stands. It’s the fifth-largest solar power system in the city, according to data from the Public Service Commission of D.C.

The solar panels are more than 100 feet above the field, and proved an engineering challenge, according to Mike Healy, CEO of New Columbia Solar, the company that designed and installed the system.

“Because it’s so high up and the wind loading that’s required to make sure it’s secure, it’s a very innovative system the way that we had to clamp the panels down,” said Healy. Rooftop solar arrays have varying engineering requirements, depending on building height, surrounding terrain, and maximum wind speeds.

The system cost about $3 million and was financed by New Columbia Solar, which now owns the solar panels and the energy they produce. The solar array is a 628 kW system, producing as much energy as it would take to power 80 homes, Healy said.

Zach Abaie, head of communications at D.C. United, said the team is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. “We hope that our step in this direction is a step that others continue to take as well, us being on the leading edge,” he said.

Nearby Nationals Park also has solar panels — a system more than twice the size of the new one at Audi Field, covering the top floor of the stadium’s parking garage. The largest solar power plant in the District, by far, is owned by the U.S. Navy, covering the vast parking lots at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. It’s ten times the size of the new Audi Field installation.