Joe GallopOxford United Football Club has announced plans to build the first stadium in the UK powered solely by electricity.
The proposed 16,000-capacity stadium at the Triangle, near Kidlington in Oxford, would not use any high carbon intensity fossil fuels such as gas, with power also generated by solar panels.
The club said renewable energy sources, including 3000m² of solar panels on the roof, along with energy efficiency measures would achieve major carbon emission reductions.
The new stadium would see modern building fabric design and heat recovery solutions introduced to maximise thermal efficiency, as well as air source heat pumps as the venue’s primary heat source. The latter is said to provide an estimated 80% reduction in CO2 emissions per year when compared to gas boilers, when aggregated over the year.
The stadium would also include drainage systems, rain storage and recycling solutions to re-use rainwater, while plans to enhance biodiversity on the land at the Triangle would achieve a significant net gain.
Oxford United development director Jon Clarke said, “The standout element of the stadium is it will be the most sustainable mid-sized sports venue in the country. We want to make the most of the opportunity to create something special – it would be one of the greenest football stadiums to be built.”
In addition to onsite renewable energy through solar panels, the stadium’s new design would include “high performance construction with optimised thermal performance” to reduce the demand for cooling in summer while retaining heat in the winter.
The proposed venue’s air source heat pumps would capture heat from the external ambient air to produce the heat source for general heating, domestic hot water generation and undersoil pitch heating.
In addition, a fully automated building energy management system is to be employed to monitor, control and report energy use.
The plans for the stadium include a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre, health and wellbeing space, gym and a community plaza. The club is currently preparing to submit its full planning application.