Features
London Stadium Installs Solar Membrane Panels
London Stadium announced that work has begun on the installation of 6,500 square meters of solar membrane panels.
It’s one of the projects to receive funding from the £500 million ($649 million) Green Finance Fund, set up by the mayor of London, which offers businesses “flexible, low-cost financing to help public sector bodies decarbonize and accelerate London’s transition to Net Zero,” according to the press release announcing London Stadium’s solar membrane project.
The £4.35 million ($5.65 million) project will enable the stadium to save more than 200 tons of carbon emissions a year, and generate enough to power all the venue’s major events.
The project is part of a range of measures to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions at London Stadium. Aside from solar membranes, they include “LED lighting, chiller and air handling improvements, and kiosk energy-saving devices, backed up by a campaign to encourage stadium staff to reduce energy consumption.”
See: ASM Global Partners With London Stadium
The measures will reduce London Stadium’s energy use by 1.9 million kWh by March 2025, at which point the roof solar savings will drive a further reduction of at least 0.8 million kWh, and a further saving of between 10% -15% on electricity costs. In total, between 2022 and 2026 the stadium will reduce energy drawn from the national grid by 3 million kWh – from 11.5million kWh per annum to 8.5 million.
The annual 850,000-kWh generated by the solar panels is equivalent to the power used for the major events each year (approximately 20 football matches, four concerts, two MLB games and one international athletics meet). The solar energy will save more than 200 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, equivalent to 100 flights from London to New York City.
Ameresco, an energy service business specializing in “clean tech and renewable energy infrastructure,” won the contract to install, operate and maintain the solar membrane panels.
The roof design of the stadium has been adapted to incorporate the panels by Populous, the architect responsible for the original stadium design in 2012.
The former Olympic venue required a bespoke system using light-weight thin film photovoltaic (PV) panels to minimize the roof weight loading, maximize energy generation and ensure compliance with fire regulations. The installation will be completed by summer 2025 and start generating electricity immediately.
The key numbers at a glance:
- 6,500 square meters solar membrane panels to be installed on London Stadium roof
- Largest solar array on Premier League ground
- More than 850,000-kWh of electricity to be generated per year
- Enough solar energy to power all Stadium concerts and major events throughout year
- Funding from Mayor of London’s Green Finance Fund
Graham Gilmore, chief executive of LS185, the stadium’s operator, said, “We are committed to becoming one of the most sustainable live event venues in the world. This investment means that we can drive down our carbon footprint and become the venue of choice for artists and event owners who are serious about sustainability. This ambitious large-scale investment will reduce our energy costs, but most importantly our carbon footprint. We are proud to take the lead in tackling climate change, and especially pleased to be able to power concerts and other event days from energy generated on-site.”
Mark Apsey, MBE, managing director of UK Operations at Ameresco, commented, “Contributing to London Stadium’s legacy and revolutionizing its energy infrastructure with state-of-the-art solar technology is an immense honor. The cutting-edge thin film PV solution will generate significant clean energy annually and contribute to a greener future for this iconic venue.”
Mete Coban, deputy mayor for environment and energy, added, “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.”
London Stadium has a 60,000 seated capacity when hosting soccer matches, and an 80,000 capacity for concerts, making it the second largest stadium for concerts in the UK capital. It has welcomed Beyonce, The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses and many more in the past.
The Weeknd sold 159,574 tickets across two shows last year, July 7-8, grossing $17,117,476 in the process. Red Hot Chili Peppers sold out 141,698 tickets on two nights in 2022, June 25-26, grossing $15,146,253, according to the Pollstar Boxoffice reports submitted for the Live Nation promoted concerts.
When the Rolling Stones came in 2018 to perform twice, May 22 & 25, they generated $20,496,695 on 137,475 tickets.
London Stadium partnered with ASM Global last year on content for those days when local soccer club West Ham United isn’t using the pitch.