It’s been well documented that the Paris Olympics will be the greenest ever. The organizers have the goal of halving the carbon footprint of the games compared to previous years.
From our own blog on the topic:
“The organizers are targeting every source of emissions, with initiatives like low-carbon structures, renewable energy, sustainable catering, and responsible procurement strategies. They have set a target to not exceed 1.5 million tons of CO2, which is half the average carbon footprint of previous Summer Games.”
A key part of this strategy involves using existing or temporary venues for a vast majority (95%) of the events. This includes the Stade de France — France’s largest stadium. It’s hosted everything from the World Cup, to the Euro Football Championship, and everything in between.
So, that’s already a pretty sustainable choice. And, the stadium is already getting a makeover for the Olympics. But, there is something missing. We’ll give you a hint: They’re black and they generate electricity, seemingly magically, from sunlight.
Yep, the Stade de France needs solar panels. If you thought these games were sustainable already, just think of how green they’ll be with an emissions-free power plant on top of the signature stadium. To see how many panels we could fit, our partners at projetsolaire modeled out the stadium.
Modeling the roof
The Stade de France’s roof is as complex as it is beautiful. Its website describes the details:
“Suspended from 18 masts 61m high and 40m apart, it floats 42 metres above the pitch, protecting the 45 km of stands, which are partially removable.”
For solar purposes, the roof looks like a nice, gently sloped surface with some minor obstructions and those masts. (A quick disclaimer: We didn’t do structural analysis for this piece, just looked at solar access and area.)
Next, we need to measure how much sunlight it gets. We can see, generally, that it looks to be surrounded by low buildings, which is promising. Our irradiance map confirms excellent solar access.
The verdict? Can confirm! Irradiance for almost the entire site looks promising. In fact, with the gentle slope of the roof, even north-facing surfaces work well for panels.
All right, let’s cut to the chase. Here’s what a fully paneled Stade de France looks like.
We know one of the (false) arguments people hear when selling solar installations is that the panels detract from the site’s look. Well, if we may be so bold, in this case — and, in fact, in most cases — we think the panels improve the stadium’s aesthetics. And that’s in addition to the powerful message they send, and example they set.
And the final piece: Just how much power does this 19,000-panel mini power plant generate? This 9.6 Megawatt installation generates a whopping 8,429 Megawatt hours per year. To compare:
- It could power more than 1,770 French homes for the year. (Assuming the average house in France consumes 4,760 kWh per year.)
- It could power more than 6,300 US homes for the year. (Assuming the typical 2,000 square foot home in the US uses 1,325 kWh per year.)
- A typical coal plant is 600 MW
- A typical 70,000-seat stadium uses 10,000-20,000 kWh on a gameday
So, it’s safe to say that for Stade de France the verdict on solar is: Oui! And we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the most sustainable olympics ever.
Get ready for Paris 2024 with the other blogs in our series!
- The Paris Olympics: An opening ceremony like no other
- Solar’s role in the 2024 Paris Olympics
- The Paris Olympics: Sustainability and innovation in action
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