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Renewable Energy In Football Clubs
Many leading football clubs are now turning to renewable energy to help with their energy demands. Human energy needs in general are having a heavy impact on the environment. This impact is calculated in terms of a Carbon Footprint, measured in units of carbon dioxide. With football stadiums and training grounds to maintain and travel to and from games, football clubs are making a hefty imprint. But the seeds of change are beginning to bear fruit. Middlesbrough Football Club in the English Premier League is developing its own solar energy by taking part in a multi-million pound project funded by the British goverment. The north east club has won part of a £2m government grant to install a roof incorporating solar cells. The project is part of a government drive to promote the use of so-called green energy sources which includes solar power. The Premiership club will join the National Trust HQ in Swindon and the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in the experiment. The project is being lead by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The department received numerous applications from many organisations wanting to take part in the project to gauge the effectiveness of so-called photovoltaic (PV) cells. Another heartening development is the English Football Association getting together with its football players and football fans to drive home the message of renewable energy. Renewable energy Energy Minister, Stephen Timms said: "The sheer number of applications is testimony to the success of this programme. "The £2m I have announced will help ensure the continued growth of the PV industry in the UK and reflects our commitment to renewable energy. "Including this announcement, we have awarded £13m worth of grants to 110 different projects throughout the UK. "This is further proof of our commitment to reach our renewable energy target of 10% by 2010." A DTI spokesman said: "A large photovoltaic system is planned for Middlesbrough's football stadium roof. "It will provide energy for underfloor heating to prevent the postponement of football matches and to power floodlights. "The stadium already has some energy efficient lighting installed. "The installation of a photovoltaic roof on a premiership football ground will help to promote the use of photovoltaics." The Numbers Grow Another club - Ipswich Town - chose to do something about it too, and in May they became the first football club in the UK to become carbon neutral. The club worked out it produced 3,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide a season and successfully off-set this by asking supporters to make specific pledges to save energy. The incentive was based on football; when the club hit their target - with 14,000 pledges made - manager Jim Magilton was rewarded with a five-figure sum towards transfers by main sponser E.ON. "It has never been done before," Ipswich captain Jason de Vos, who encouraged fans to take public transport, use high-efficiency lightbulbs and turn down their boilers, told BBC Sport. "The club has made changes to the way the stadium is run, some of the players have been car-pooling - it's not going to save the world but it has raised awareness about the need to conserve energy." Manchester City has gone one step further - by October 2007 the club will be producing its own renewable energy. City is building a wind turbine to provide all the electricity for its stadium, with a further 20% sold on. "We will be the first stadium of any kind in the world to have its own turbine," said City's social responsibility manager, Pete Bradshaw. City are also making good use of all the rubbish off the pitch, turning glass into footpaths, grass cuttings into compost, paper into insulation and plastic cups and bottles - all 8 million of them per season - into blinds and furniture. "This club grew out of Manchester. As a responsible community business it's important for us that the environment is on our agenda. It's essential." World famous Liverpool FC are getting in on the act as well.Their Sweeper Zone scheme encourages kids to keep the city litter free. "We recycle 90-100% of everything we use," explained the club. But when it comes to taking a green approach to its stadium, non-league Dartford are streets ahead of their rivals. Princes Park is the UK's first sustainable stadium, built from renewable timber with a grass roof and sunk two metres below ground level to reduce noise and light pollution. The average pitch needs 20,000 litres of water a day but Dartford have two lakes to feed the pitch while solar panels generate energy. So while football clubs aren't going to change the world on their own, by getting the message across to its fans about renewable energy, hopefully it can make a huge difference in peoples attitudes. A great way of doing your bit is to buy your energy from suppliers you generate it from renewable sources. For more information click here. Useful resources Click on solar photovoltaic energy for information on solar for electricity.
Click on diy solar heating for information on solar water heating. To return to our renewable energy page. To return to our solar energy home page.
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