Baseball, Apple Pie and.... Solar Power.

The San Francisco Giants baseball team has signed a high profile solar energy deal with PG&E that doesn't seem to make any business sense whatsoever.

Under the deal, the Giants will install solar panels at their stadium, AT&T Park, capable of generating 123 kilowatts. None of the power generated will be used at AT&T Park, it will all go directly into the grid. The Giants won't own the panels, PG&E will, because it is buying them and paying to install them.

So the Giants are installing solar panels they don't own, which will generate power they can't use. It's not even clear if PG&E will pay the Giants rent (and we know the Giants won't get a break on their energy bill from PG&E because the Giants are not even a PG&E customer.)

So, as the San Jose Mercury News put it, the whole deal appears to be little more than a "billboard" promoting solar energy.

I guess the only way this makes sense for the Giants is as a feel-good public relations move that might make people forget about Barry Bonds' rampant steroid use. If so, it's a drastic move and it probably will have less impact than if they had simply lowered beer prices.

Giants adding solar power to lineup [San Jose Mercury News]