News article
Udinese enhances green credentials with solar panels project
Udinese has announced it is collaborating with its stadium naming-rights partner, Bluenergy, to install 2,400 solar panels on the roof of the Italian Serie A football club’s stadium.
The project, which will ultimately generate around 3,000 kWh of energy per day, is just the latest in a stream of sustainability initiatives adopted by the club, which has repeatedly vowed to ensure its home remains football’s “greenest venue in Italy”.
The facility, traditionally known as Stadio Friuli, already harvests rainwater and has energy-efficient lighting, among a range of other features, while Udinese is part of the European Club Association Sustainability Working Group, helping to draw up a sustainability roadmap for European clubs.
The solar panels, which will cover a total surface area of 4,615 square metres, will be laid in two parallel sections across the stadium roof, with the club further assessing the possibility of adding a 330 kW battery storage park to ensure longer charge and discharge cycles.
“Innovation and environmental awareness continue to play a central role in Udinese Calcio’s decision-making."
Since Udinese joined forces with Bluenergy in 2018, the club has saved 5,620 tonnes of CO2 through utilising energy from renewable sources.
“Innovation and environmental awareness continue to play a central role in Udinese Calcio’s decision-making,” Udinese Managing Director Franco Collavino said. “This is another reason why we’re thrilled to make our stadium even greener, with the invaluable help of Bluenergy. We have been recognised as the most sustainable club in Italy and the fourth most sustainable in the world.
“This motivates both us and Bluenergy, one of the key players in Italy’s energy transition, to promote projects that give further momentum to this commitment. Football has an unparalleled presence in mass media and, in addition to our own responsibility to act in a moral way, we have a duty to spread messages that encourage fans to come together in the fight against climate change.”
The new solar energy system is expected to come into operation by October 2024.
Image: Matteo.favi/ CC BY-SA 4.0