Looking for a bright spot amid a dim season?

The Ravens will begin installing about 1,000 solar panels at the M&T Bank Stadium complex this offseason to partially power the 71,000-seat venue.

The solar panels, which harness the sun’s energy, will be added on top of the North Plaza, a new entryway structure that will include the team store.

“All energy produced by the project will be delivered directly into the stadium’s internal electrical grid for exclusive use by the stadium,” said Michael Frenz, the executive director of the Maryland Stadium Authority.

The state of Maryland, via the authority, owns the stadium and funds the bulk of its costly improvements. In this case, however, the Ravens will pay for and own the panels, marking a unique arrangement.

The panels will be the only element of either the football stadium or Oriole Park at Camden Yards that is owned by a team, rather than the state.

Stadium authority board member Adam Kane asked Frenz about that distinction during a monthly meeting Tuesday.

Normally, Frenz said, the authority owns the stadium in its entirety “so that we can have a turnkey stadium in the extremely unlikely event that we’d have to attract another team.”

Given that the panels are not an “integral” aspect of the venue, Frenz said the authority was comfortable with the team owning them.

He emphasized that the authority has no liability in the arrangement and that the team will be responsible for any related costs going forward, including repairing or removing the system. The panels are expected to have a lifetime of 20 to 25 years.

The Ravens do not pay the state rent to use the publicly owned facility, but do pay for operations and management expenses, including energy. Thus, any cost savings associated with the solar panels would be felt by the Ravens.

The project is expected to be completed during the 2026 season.

“As part of our stadium renovations, we identified a compelling long-term investment opportunity that is in line with our long-standing commitment to sustainability and responsible stewardship of resources,” Ravens spokesperson Chad Steele said in a statement Wednesday.

Several NFL stadiums have solar panels and the Ravens added more than 1,000 panels to their practice facility a decade ago.

The state is in the midst of a three-year, roughly $489 million renovation at M&T Bank Stadium. Ultimately, the Ravens will pay for about $20 million of that, and state coffers will fund the rest.

Frenz recommended the solar panel agreement because it “promotes the state’s goals of sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.” The board unanimously passed it.

Lumina Solar, based in Baltimore County, will design and install the system.

As overall demand for energy increases, the authority took action this year to decrease its usage and provide relief for the grid. It agreed to potentially cut power at its idle stadiums during periods of high energy usage, such as hot summer days, in exchange for a payout.

The Ravens, who fell to 6-6 with a Thanksgiving loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in a pivotal game for control of the AFC North.