Oxford United have revealed grand plans for a new stadium, one which would become the first all-electric stadium in British football. The club have revealed that the new stadium will use a low-carbon energy supply to create the ‘all-electric” football stadium and that solar panels will also be used on the stadium to generate further power.
The solar panels will be fitted onto the roof of the stadium and the club believe they will generate enough energy on their own to boil the equivalent of 3 million kettles per year. Meanwhile, heat recovery solutions will be installed around the stadium to increase thermal efficiency.
Additionally, high carbon intensity fossil fuels such as gas won't be used at all the new ground, which will be based near Kidlington in Oxford and have a capacity of 16,000. Oxford's current stadium, the Kassam Stadium, has a capacity of 12,500 so the the club would also potentially see an increase in matchday revenue should they reach capacity most weeks.
Oxford's ambition to build a new environmentally friendly football stadium shouldn't come as a huge shock as just a few days ago, they announced that they had signed the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework which effectively means they have pledged to play their part in ensuring the sports sector does their bit to bring down carbon emissions in the UK. As part of that, Oxford United want to halve their carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040.
The most sustainable mid-sized sports venue in the country
Unveiling the plans on Wednesday, the club's Development Director Jon Clarke spoke passionately about the stadium and how it could revolutionise the way stadiums are built in the country. He 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.”
“The stadium design has sustainability and visitor experience at its core. We’ve maximised modern technology, design and progressive thinking to create the benchmark for future design of stadiums with the protection of our planet in firm focus.
“By avoiding natural gas usage on site and by using highly efficient equipment to serve a high-quality building, the carbon emissions associated with this unique venue will be radically reduced resulting in a very low impact home.”