£4million plan to cover London Stadium in solar panels
London Stadium, home to West Ham United, will have its roof covered with solar panels in a multi-million pound scheme led by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) to reduce carbon emissions and generate its own energy.
The project is estimated to cost £4 million over two years, but will be recouped within five years due to an estimated three million kilowatts of power generated each year. The LLDC plans to begin work on the project in mid-2023 with power generation possibly starting before April 2024.
The installation project contract was tendered in December, with the description stating that the “high-profile building offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase cutting edge technology.” It stated that the “key driver” for the project was to significantly reduce carbon emissions, in line with the mayor of London’s commitment to turn London into a zero carbon city by 2030.
City Hall has agreed to contribute £45,000 towards a feasibility study and business case for the project.
Stuart Dossett, senior policy advisor at environmental think tank Green Alliance, said: “It’s great to see such an iconic building, the scene for so much national pride, leading us into our greener future. Solar can be built quickly to produce cheap and clean energy to power our buildings. The sooner we expand the use of renewables, the sooner we can slash bills and carbon emissions.”
