Green energy in sports: Biggest solar-powered football stadium in Germany is underway

Freiburg’s Europa Stadium should be able to produce almost all the energy it needs with renewable sources on site

Yesterday, authorities in Freiburg, Germany, announced that the project to build a photovoltaic system on the roof of the local Europa Park stadium was underway. The finished system would be the largest of its kind in Germany and one of the largest in the world, contributing to Europa Park’s overall sustainable energy scheme.

The photovoltaic cells are being installed with investments from the local ‘badenova’ energy company, the local government and the Freiburg Sports Club. According to a statement by Mayor Martin Horn, the installation will cost around 2.3 million euros.

The installation would cover 15,000 square meters and include 6,000 individual solar modules. Their estimated combined output is around 2.3 million kilowatts per year, which is supposed to cover all the stadiums’ needs, making it CO2 neutral.

Europa Park - a stadium for the future with a sustainability concept

One of the most interesting facts about the Europa Park is that it has a robust sustainable energy scheme, that is supposed to make the facility carbon neutral. Apart from the photovoltaic system currently under construction on the roof, the stadium uses waste heat from the nearby industrial zone.

The new stadium in Freiburg has a robust sustainability concept,
Source: Andreas Schwarzkopf on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

According to official sources, these two components should be able to cover the stadiums’ annual energy consumption. The parking lot of the stadium is also home to a number of electric vehicle charging stations. At the same time, however, it also features a diesel-powered generator, if there is an energy outing. The generator is specifically aimed at powering television broadcasts.

The local football team, FC Freiburg, used to be based in the 1954 Dreisamstadion, however, as the new century rolled around, the structure proved to be outdated and ill-equipped. In 2012, the local council voted to construct a new one and works officially started in early 2020.

Europa Park was officially opened in October 2021, when Freiburg played a friendly game with FC St Pauli.