Green light for green electricity at London Stadium
A versatile stadium for a city on a mission to net zero
London Stadium, initially named Olympic Stadium, was built in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. With construction starting in May of 2008, the stadium was finished by March 2011, 16 months before becoming the heart of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Each day during the Olympics and Paralympics, it would welcome 80,000 fans from all across the globe. It witnessed a host of world records being broken and magical moments, such as Usain Bolt winning gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay.
After the Olympics, the stadium knew how to reinvent itself. London Stadium is now a multi-sports venue, home to UK Athletics and West Ham United Football Club and has hosted major concerts, from the Rolling Stones to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The evolution of this stadium has ensured that it remains at the heart of London’s sports and music scene. More recently, the versatile London Stadium has demonstrated how it can be at the heart of something else for the city: its transition to Net Zero.
The owners of London Stadium, London Legacy Development Corporation, recently received funding from the Mayor of London’s Green Finance Fund. They are investing in a £4.35 million project to reduce the stadium’s carbon emissions and energy costs.
Investments will be made in LED lighting and energy-saving devices, but the key piece of work will be happening outside the stadium. As part of this project, £3.5 million will be attributed to installing 6,500 square metres of solar panels on the stadium’s roof.
Seizing the gold on the roof of stadiums
These solar panels will generate approximately 850,000 kWh of renewable electricity, enough to power all the stadium’s events throughout the year. This includes football games, international athletics meets, Major League Baseball games and concerts.
The project is expected to reduce the stadium’s annual energy consumption by 3 million kWh. The London Legacy Development Corporation estimate that the stadium could save up to £350,000 and reduce its carbon emissions by 200 tonnes annually.
The contract to install, operate and maintain the solar panels was won by Amaresco, a leader in clean technology, energy efficiency, and renewable energy infrastructure.
“Contributing to London Stadium’s legacy and revolutionizing its energy infrastructure with state-of-the-art solar technology is an immense honour. The cutting-edge thin film PV solution will generate significant clean energy annually and contribute to a greener future for this iconic venue.”
Mark Apsey, MBE, Managing Director of UK Operations at Ameresco
This investment will significantly benefit West Ham United, which is proactively working to reduce its environmental impact. Once completed in the summer of 2025, the project would lead to their home having the largest solar installation in the Premier League.
With this project, the London Stadium shows how sports infrastructure can contribute to their city’s clean energy transition and power the sustainability strategy of their teams.
