O2 Arena To Cut Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Using New Wind‑Powered Turbines
AEG’s London O2 Arena is set to generate its own clean electricity using a newly developed breed of “vertical wind turbine”.
This installation at the O2 will begin with 10 of the 68cm (27in) vertical turbines and, given its location on the River Thames, will help generate clean electricity equivalent to that required to power 23 homes! Whilst this is a small amount of the Arena’s total energy consumption, AEG expects to install many more of the mini turbines across its stadiums worldwide.
O2 Arena have signed a deal with Alpha 311 the developer of this new breed of turbine which it is claimed is able to spin from even a gentle movement of air, or a passing car!
Each turbine is made from recycled plastic and weighs about 4kg (9lbs), but the design could be scaled up to help generate as much electricity as that produced by 20 sq metres of solar panels, according to its developer, Alpha 311.
Lee Lacey, the facility director at the O2, has said that the arena had ‘been searching for a suitable wind-generated power source’ to help cut its greenhouse gas emissions and reach its ambition to become a net zero carbon entertainment venue, this opportunity to provide a local on-site source of power generation is huge and it is hoped this trial will provide the ‘launchpad’ of many more installations across the Greenwich peninsula and throughout the UK.
Alpha 311 turbines were originally designed to be larger, at almost 2 metes in length, and installed on infrastructure with a connection to the electricity grid. Installing the turbines on streetlights along motorways, for example, could generate eight times as much clean electricity as they are expected to produce at the O2 Arena. Motorways also offer the advantage of minimal installation time and no negative impact on the environment or local views, which can be a concern for traditional windfarms in some areas.
Barry Thompson, the chief executive of Alpha 311, has reported that the company was already in talks with international buyers, adding that the Alpha 311 turbine was born in Britain with ‘international aspirations’, so it is fitting that with this deal they are working with the world’s most popular music, entertainment and leisure venue.
