Tottenham seeks approval for 1.64 MW stadium solar roof

Tottenham Hotspur has applied to install approximately 3,800 solar panels on its roof, which would be the largest installation of its kind in the UK. The proposed system is expected to have a capacity of around 1.64 MW. 

The system is expected to be delivered by Solivus, with installation scheduled to begin in September and wrapping up by the end of the year. That’s subject to the necessary approvals by Haringey Council, of course. 

This isn’t a simple install, however. While many will see a stadium as an ideal location to install solar panels, there’s a lot of work that will go into making a project like this a reality – especially at this scale. 

A stadium roof brings structural loading, wind uplift, fire performance, waterproofing, cable routing and maintenance access into the same conversation. Work also has to be planned around a live venue hosting football, concerts, hospitality and other events. A technically sound array is little use if maintaining it later requires disruptive closures or compromises the roof.

While there have been previous installations at football stadiums across the UK, this one dwarfs them all. For instance, it would be bigger than the 1.5 MW array installed at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, which comprises 3,296 modules. It would also exceed the size of the array used at Tottenham’s rival West Ham United, with its home ground, London Stadium, having installed 6,500 m² of lightweight solar membrane to generate around 850,000 kWh a year. 

That means Tottenham will now be able to take on the claim of having the largest solar system of any sporting venue in the UK – but having the biggest doesn’t necessarily mean it has the best. Many concerts and football games tend to take place later in the evening, when solar generation isn’t exactly at its highest – that means the clean electricity being generated isn’t exactly helping offset the heaviest demand periods. 

Thankfully for Tottenham, the stadium already includes a modularised battery storage system throughout the stadium to reduce costs and manage peak demand during games. If that’s set to be paired with the new solar array, that could meaningfully reduce both the cost and the carbon footprint of the stadium.