Manchester City is to become “one of football’s largest producers of self-supplied renewable energy”, as it plans to install more than 10,000 solar panels at its Football Academy training facility.
The Premier League champion wants to be known as a source of clean energy and a sustainability pioneer in the world of football.
A planning application has been filed for the project, which would see the solar panels pump out up to 4.39MWh of renewable electricity each year.
The amount of renewable energy generated would offset the Football Academy’s annual usage, with additional renewable energy being supplied to the 53,400-seater Etihad Stadium.
The plans would see 3,000-plus solar modules located on the roof of the Joie Stadium, home to Manchester City Women. Almost 4,000 panels will also be located on the roofs of other facilities on site, such as the First Team and Academy Building.
A further 3,800 panels will be installed on frames over footpaths and pitch-side areas of the City Football Academy.
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The club’s Football Academy currently holds a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a widely used environmentally orientated building certification.
If granted planning approval, the panels will be up and running by the end of this year.
Pete Bradshaw, the club’s head of sustainability, said: “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.
“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.”
In December last year, it was revealed Manchester City’s overall emissions increased by 50.6% year-on-year, compared to a 31.8% reduction in the previous year.
Top football clubs in England have been criticised for their lavish travel habits, specifically the use of private jets to get to domestic away matches, as campaigners urge them to “support climate-friendly travel”.
