A major stadium in London will soon be entirely powered by solar, thanks to the installation of a new solar array.
London Stadium, former Olympic venue and current home of Premier League team West Ham United, is set to be fitted with a 6,500 sqm solar array, capable of generating over 850,000kWh of electricity each year. According to the project leaders, this capacity is enough to power all of the stadium’s major events each year, comprising of around 20 football matches, four major concerts, two Major League Baseball games, and one international athletics event.
The system that will be installed will utilise light-weight, thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) cells in order to minimise excess weight on the roof. The installation is set to be completed by summer 2025, with Ameresco contracted to install, operate and maintain the PV system.
The project is the first to secure funding from the Mayor of London’s Green Finance Fund, a £500 million fund offering flexible, low-cost financing to help public sector bodies in their decarbonisation goals. This project received £4.35 million from the fund.
Mete Coban, deputy mayor for environment and energy said: “These solar panels are a game changer for the London Stadium, turning it into one of the world’s greenest sports and concert venues and hugely reducing its energy use and running costs. The Mayor’s Green Finance Fund offers exciting opportunities to help public sector bodies lower their carbon footprint and become more sustainable, and I encourage organisations to get involved as the next round of funding opens and we continue to build a greener, fairer London for everyone.”
Mark Apsey, MBE, managing director of UK operations at Ameresco, said: “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.”
