Revealed: Plan to cover West Ham’s London stadium with ‘solar membrane’

Plans to close the 2012 Olympic Games arena, where the house now stands, have been announced West Ham United – in a multimillion dollar solar membrane to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and use the sun’s rays.

The scheme is led by the stadium’s owners London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is a body established after the 2012 Games to oversee the continued regeneration of the surrounding area Olympic Park.

The latest LLDC budget document suggests the project could cost around £4m over two years, but pay for itself in more than five years, with an estimated generation of around three million kilowatts of energy each year.

It added that work on the scheme could start in “mid-2023”, with electricity potentially starting to be generated by the end of the next financial year in April 2024.

The contract for the installation of the project was put out to tender in December, with the contract description saying “the high-profile building offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase cutting-edge technology”.

It added: “The main driver of the project is the significant reduction of carbon emissions in line with the commitment to achieve ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2030.”

The idea was praised by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who said: “I always support innovation in our city, I always support [people in] our city was a pioneer in matters. London is the sports capital of the world.

“Let’s wait and see how these ideas develop, but I’m delighted to see West Ham finally win.”

Stuart Dossett, senior policy adviser at environmental think tank Green Alliance, said: “It is great to see such an iconic building, a scene of national pride, leading us towards our greener future.

“Solar power can be built quickly to produce cheap and clean energy to power our buildings. The faster we expand the use of renewable energy sources, the faster we can reduce bills and carbon emissions.”

The City Council has agreed to contribute £45,000 towards a feasibility study and business case for the project. The exact components of the membrane will be determined in a feasibility study, but one solution could involve using a sheet-like material with photovoltaic panels embedded in it.

A London Stadium A spokeswoman said: “Providing power through solar or similar technology has been explored before but was not possible with the technology available at the time. Recent developments show that previous barriers – which included the weight load required on the roof – can now be overcome.

“The purpose of the feasibility study is to examine this and quantify the achievable costs and benefits. The result of this will determine how self-sufficient the stadium will be in the future.”