Manchester City football club are planning to install more than 10,000 solar panels at their training ground in a move that is set to make the facility one of the largest producers of renewable energy in world football.
The panels will generate up to 4.39 MWh of energy every year – enough energy to power more than 2,000 homes.
The Premier League Champions are seeking planning permission from Manchester City Council to install 10,887 solar panels on their training facility and the Joie Stadium.
This new project builds on Manchester City’s existing commitment to renewable energy which has seen the club purchase 100 per cent renewable electricity for the last eight years.
The City Football Academy has already achieved the gold standard under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines – the most widely used green building rating system.
Manchester City is looking to install 3,800 panels over footpaths and pitch-side areas at the City Football Academy. Another 3,000 could be added to the roof of the Joie Stadium, home to its women’s and academy teams. The remaining 3,942 solar panels will be installed on the roofs of other buildings on the same site.
Pete Bradshaw, Manchester City’s director of sustainability says “It is with great excitement that we can reveal our plans to completely offset the power required to run the day-to-day operations of the City Football Academy, by becoming one of football’s largest producers of self-supplied, renewable energy. Over many years, we have adopted increasingly sustainable practices across the club, ranging from the removal of all single-use plastic on a matchday to reusing rainwater and recycling more than 70 per cent of our waste.
“As we look ahead on our roadmap to being net carbon zero by 2030, we know that the production and consumption of renewable energy has an incredibly important role to play, which is why we are delighted at the prospect of installing over 10,800 solar panels at our home in Manchester.”
Subject to planning approval, the solar panels will be fully operational by the end of 2024. They will be installed and managed by Manchester-based renewable energy developer, Clearvolt.
