A whole bunch of photo voltaic panels might be put in within the stands at Cork’s Musgrave Park in what’s believed to be the largest inexperienced power initiative of its form at a sports activities stadium in Eire.
Planning permission has been granted for the intensive array, which is predicted to supply sufficient energy on sunny days to fulfill the power consumption wants of all the Musgrave Park sports activities campus.
In addition to lowering the stadium’s power consumption, lowering its power prices and off-setting its carbon footprint, Munster Rugby will be capable of promote any extra electrical energy generated again into the grid by its sustainability companion, Pinergy, which can purchase the electrical energy at 25c per kilowatt hour.
Pinergy already provides 100% renewable power to Munster’s Thomond Park in Limerick and Musgrave Park, and it has labored on LED retrofitting and renewable heating options at Thomond Park previously.
However underneath the phrases of a 10-year partnership, it’s now funding the set up of a 400 kw peak photo voltaic set up on the roofs of two stands at Munster Rugby’s Cork headquarters.
The Cork Rugby Stadium Designated Exercise Firm utilized to Cork Metropolis Council earlier this yr for permission to put in 644 photo voltaic panels on the stadium’s roofs — 480 on the principle stand, which faces west, and 164 on reverse stance.
The stadium is 2 km west of the town heart. Its western stand is about three tales excessive, with the roof 10m excessive, and a further 1.9m excessive on the peak. The japanese stand is about two tales excessive, with a roof about 6m excessive.
Paperwork within the planning file say the structure of the panels is designed to maximise photo voltaic income.
solar panel announcement. Photo: INPHO/Dan Sheridan” class=”card-img”/>“The set up of photovoltaic panels will acquire clear power from the Solar and assist cut back the shopper’s dependence on fossil fuels, thus lowering their carbon footprint,” it mentioned.
Consultants should additionally put together a particular glint and glare report back to confirm that the array of panels is not going to intervene with close by properties, or street customers, and won’t present a harmful disruption to pilots on ultimate method or departure from Cork Airport, about 4km to the south.
In all instances, it’s thought of that the danger is negligible and no mitigation is taken into account crucial.
Planners have given permission for the scheme with quite a lot of customary situations connected.
Whereas some preliminary work has already been accomplished on web site, the panels themselves are anticipated to be put in early within the new yr.
Michael Norton, head of business gross sales at Pinergy Photo voltaic Electrical, says they’ve labored on many massive photo voltaic panel installations previously, together with the Protection Forces, with some retail chains and with dealerships in auto.
However he mentioned he believed it could be the most important set up of its form in an Irish sports activities stadium and would encourage different tasks.
“Houses that set up photo voltaic panels can obtain common financial savings on their electrical energy payments of 30% to 50% whereas companies can obtain common financial savings of between 20% to 40%, relying on the area accessible for photo voltaic panels. Some companies will clearly obtain larger financial savings,” he mentioned.
Munster Rugby has beforehand pledged to cut back greenhouse fuel emissions by 50% by 2030 and obtain internet zero by 2040.
