They are called the Greens and now football club Plymouth Argyle is living up to its nickname by installing solar panels on the roof of its new £8million grandstand.
The League Two club, famous for its green team shirts, is due to open its redeveloped grandstand in on January 1, 2019, for a home game with Swindon Town, and has called in Plymouth’s IU Energy to install 58.85kW of Solar PV panels on its roof.
And the firm has even arranged the panels so they spell out PAFC.
IU Energy said it means the display will add a “significant amount” of self-generated green energy and contribute to Plymouth’s 2030 net zero-carbon goal.
The completed, eye-catching installation consists of 214 Solar PV modules, which will save Argyle hundreds of thousands of pounds during the next 20 years.
It will also have a major impact on their carbon emissions and demonstrates a real commitment to sustainability by the club.
“The greens really are going green,” said IU Energy founder and managing director Chaz Lawrence. “The professional football club is doing its part and there will be a benefit in terms of sustainability.”
IU energy is Argyle’s official energy partner, a relationship that has been in place since 2008. Until now it meant arranging the club’s fixed-term green energy contracts at the best market rates.
But in 2019, the Pilgrims’ management further entrusted IU Energy to design, supply and install the PV array on the near-completed grandstand rooftop.
A project of this scale requires multi-faceted coordination between the main contractor and a host of sub-contractors, IU Energy said, along with the critical expectation and time management that goes with it.
In this case, IU Energy collaborated with the main contractor’s project manager, sub-contracted electricians - who needed to situate the relevant electrical components in the correct place - crane hirers, supply chains to co-ordinate deliveries, scaffolders and roofers. Many of these trades and services were on-site at the Home Park stadium simultaneously.
The physical installation of a large solar array amidst a full construction project is only 20% of a complex delivery schedule. Managing the process and all the necessary communication to deliver the planned result is the other 80%.
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It’s one of the key reasons why the main contractor engaged IU Energy for the highly-visible project, the firm said, highlighting its track record of successful, large construction, multi-contractor installations.
IU Energy was formed in 2002 as a procurement broker, but expanded into an energy consultancy, finding clever ways to reduce firm’s energy usage.
It merged with engineering company Amer (UK) Ltd, an electrical and mechanical specialist which installs energy saving equipment, in 2016.
The business is now working closely with a housing association equip social housing with insulation, double glazing and photovoltaic technology.
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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Duncan Banks, chief executive at IU Energy, said the firm is growing and anticipating to add to its 22-strong team in 2020.
Mr Banks said: “We have had a strong year, particularly with engineering, that has really come on.
“We have a good pipeline of work for next year and think we will have a significant expansion next year, with more staff. We could add another five people.
