One of English football's most decorated clubs, Arsenal, has installed a battery storage system at its London stadium.
In a joint announcement Monday, Arsenal and U.K. firm Pivot Power said the 3-megawatt (MW) system could store enough energy to run the Emirates Stadium for the entirety of a match. Initially, only 2MW of capacity will be used, with the remainder switched on next summer.
Arsenal has been in a partnership with renewable energy firm Octopus Energy since 2016. Today, the club uses 100 percent clean electricity from a network of solar farms and anaerobic digestion plants.
"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 organization," Vinai Venkatesham, Arsenal's managing director, said in a statement.
"We have been powered by green energy since 2016 thanks to Octopus Energy, and the battery storage system will support our efforts further," he added.
In addition to its renewable energy consumption, Arsenal is looking to green its operations in a number of ways. At the Emirates Stadium, 80 percent of match-day waste is recycled, with all food waste diverted to an anaerobic digestion plant where it is converted into energy.
While sources such as solar are renewable, they do not promise a constant stream of power. Battery systems are important to renewables because they allow companies and organizations to store energy when it is available and then use it when required.
"Batteries are central to creating a cost-effective, low-carbon economy and we are keen to help government, local authorities and businesses seize the opportunities they offer," Pivot Power CEO Matt Allen said in a statement Monday.
A number of major sports teams are turning to renewable sources of energy.
The Los Angeles Lakers' UCLA Health Training Center, for example, is home to 456 solar panels that can produce an estimated 245,000 kilowatt hours per year, enough to power 35 homes.
