• Northampton Saints Rugby club turn previously unusable roof-space into a solar energy asset.
• Saints are ahead of the solar queue reducing their dependency on the grid, their carbon footprint and their energy bills.
• A new type of solar panel which is far lighter than conventional solar, makes more of the UK’s 2.5 billion m2 of south-facing roof space accessible for clean energy generation, and critically makes use of land that is already used. (1)
Premiership rugby club, Northampton Saints, has enlisted the help of pioneering solar tech firm, Solivus, in a bid to turn unusable roof-space into a clean energy asset. This move helps the club to deliver on its sustainability ambitions while reducing energy bills and its dependency on the grid.
This ground-breaking solar project sees Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, become one of the first stadiums in the country to implement this new type of solar technology. It is being driven by Julia Chapman, Finance & Operations Director at Saints, who is galvanising the club to make sustainability a strategic priority and work towards reducing its day-to-day carbon footprint.
Julia Chapman, Finance & Operations Director at Northampton Saints, said:
“There are 1,000s of buildings with roof space like ours that you can't use for any other purpose. This gives us commercial benefit, as well as reducing our carbon footprint so it’s worth considering.”
Solivus has supplied and installed more than 600 ultra thin-layer solar panels on the roof of the Church’s and Barwell Stands, meaning all suitable roof space at the ground will be utilised to create renewable energy.
Commenting on the potential of thin-film solar solutions, CEO of Solivus, Jo Parker-Swift, added:
“The rising cost of energy and the question of energy security due to the invasion of Ukraine is making businesses consider alternative sources of energy, including self-generated solar energy. A stumbling block for solar uptake has been providing panelling that is light enough and effective enough to take advantage of unusable rooftop space. Our innovative ‘skin like’ thin-film solar solutions fit most roofs, thus eliminating this barrier to adoption. Rolling out this type of solar technology across the UK would make a huge leap towards the decarbonisation of the UK’s energy.”
Solar energy has progressed from a niche technology to a central pillar of the clean energy system in the last decade as the cost has reduced by 85% (2). With land-use a major barrier to solar developments, rooftop solar doesn’t depend on government or policy changes.
Owner-occupied buildings and commercial landlords can take action right away in the same way Saints have.
Stadia expert James Bulley Chief Executive at Trivandi Ltd who connected Saints with Solivus said about the need for lightweight solar:
“Trivandi Ltd was formed in 2012 by the senior team that delivered and operated the venues for the London Olympic Games. We specialise in venues and events. We deliver venues with huge roofs, whether its stadiums, aquatic centres or exhibition centres, and the roofs mostly can’t take the weight of traditional solar PV so the thin film solutions offered by Solivus solves this problem.”
Another type of thin-film solar technology that Solivus offer comes with a backside adhesive layer, a “peel & stick” method that can be installed directly onto most smooth roofs and facades.
Solivus Website: https://www.solivus.com/
Solivus Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solivus/
Jo-Parker Swift: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-parker-swift
About Solivus
Solivus is on a mission to make it as easy as possible for mega-buildings and homeowners to decarbonise by installing innovative thin-film solar solutions.
Solivus has developed solutions to wrap innovative flexible, sheet-like solar panels around the flat roofs of large commercial buildings, such as warehouses, hangars, stadiums and large offices. For homeowners, Solivus is launching its ‘portable’ Solivus Arc, using organic solar film in a fully recyclable structure that can contribute to the energy for your home or car for the next 20 years.
About the research
Book a call with the Solivus Commercial Building team or email us at info@solivus.com.
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