Arsenal extends renewable energy contract and tackles climate change
North London-based football club Arsenal has switched to 100% green energy after extending its partnership with renewables provider Octopus Energy.
Octopus, which has been the club's official energy partner since October 2016, will now provide 100% power to the club's 60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium in North London under a contract signed on 3 August, 2017.
Power will come from Octopus' solar power plants as well as anaerobic digestion using food waste collected at the stadium, which will provide both biogas and electricity. The move makes Arsenal the first Premier League club to switch to 100% green energy.
Octopus has already been supplying Arsenal with solar energy for the last year as one part of its power mix, helping the club save 2.32 million kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Gunners’ manager Arsène Wenger and Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy marked their on-going commitment for energy from renewable sources at Emirates Stadium during the club’s Members’ Day on 3 August, 2017.
Cycling to power
On the day fans watched Arsenal players expending their energy during an open training session – and were challenged to test their own fitness by cycling to power a sound system in the stadium.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “It is important we all take steps in this area and I am pleased that we have switched to green energy as a result of our partnership with Octopus Energy.”
Jackson said: “Green energy is at a tipping point, the technology to create electricity from renewable sources is now so efficient, that we can offer ‘green’ energy to our customers which is cheaper than many ‘non green’ tariffs. Being green doesn’t have to cost the earth.”
“We have been delighted to work with such an awesome club as Arsenal, and are looking forward to continuing our partnership into the future.”
Octopus built its first solar generation plant in 2011 and has gone on to build another 154 in the UK. The firm offers a Super Green tariff that offers 100% renewable electricity and full carbon offsets for gas, leaving the customer with no footprint on the planet, according to Octopus.
This story was written by Liz Gyekye, editor of Bioenergy Insight.
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