New battery storage unit from Pivot Power means Emirates Stadium can run on stored electricity for an entire football match
Arsenal football club has today unveiled a new battery storage system big enough to allow its Emirates Stadium to run off stored power for the duration of an entire football match.
Installed by Pivot Power, the 2MW/2.5MWh battery system is capable of powering the 60,000-seat Emirate Stadium for more than two hours. It will allow Arsenal to save cash by drawing down electricity from the grid when prices are low, minimising its exposure to peak time prices which can be as much as three times higher than overnight prices.
The Emirates Stadium is already signed up to a 100 per cent renewable energy tariff with Octopus Energy, and Arsenal claim its decision to add battery storage will help cut its carbon footprint further and support the development of a low-carbon grid in the UK.
"This is a big step forwards for us in being efficient with energy usage and it builds on our work in reducing our carbon footprint as an organisation," said Arsenal managing director Vinai Venkatesham. "We have been powered by green energy since 2016 thanks to Octopus Energy, and the battery storage system will support our efforts further."
The project was welcomed by Energy and Clean Growth Minister, Claire Perry, who hailed it as evidence of how energy storage and smart grid technologies could help companies slash carbon emissions and costs.
"The UK is certainly not being left-back on the bench, with Arsenal truly moving the goal-posts when it comes to energy efficiency at Emirates Stadium," she said in a statement. "This project scores the hat-trick of tackling peak prices and storing clean energy, with the goal of selling back energy to the grid at peak times. A more flexible energy grid could save the UK billions and this kind of cutting-edge technology shows companies the potential of being part of the beautiful game of smarter energy systems."
The initial installation, which was funded with investment from Downing LLP, features a 2MW/2.5MWh battery, but during summer 2019 Pivot Power will install an additional 1MW/1.2MWh of storage, taking the stadium's total capacity to 3MW/3.7MWh.
Arsenal said that as well as cutting its utility bill, the battery system will also bring in extra revenue by providing support services to the grid, via energy management services specialist Open Energi. A frequency response contract is already in place with National Grid, Arsenal added.
The club is already seen as something of a low-carbon leader, particularly in comparison to other Premier League clubs which last week were criticised as part of a new a Daily Telegraph campaign that accuses the league of making slow progress against the government's green targets. Environment Secretary Michael Gove publicly called on the UK's football clubs to step up their efforts to go green.
"Arsenal is showing how football clubs and other big power users can save money and support the UK's climate change and clean air targets," said Pivot Power CEO Matt Allen.
Pivot Power is pursuing plans to install 50MW of grid-scale batteries as part of an ambitious £1.6bn drive to drastically extend the country's electric vehicle fast charging network and strengthen the electricity grid.