The 2012 Olympics stadium – now home to West Ham United – is to be wrapped in a solar membrane to reduce carbon emissions, it has been revealed.
It is estimated the project will cost £4 million over the first two years but would pay for itself after five years.
According to planning documents, the work could start on the east London site later this year.
The building could then start generating energy by end of 2024, according to the stadium’s owner, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) – a body set up after the 2012 Games to manage the development of the area around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.
A contract for the project’s installation said the scheme offers a “fantastic opportunity to showcase cutting edge technology”.
It added that the “key driver” for the project was to significantly reduce carbon emissions, in line with the mayor of London’s commitment to turn London into a “zero carbon” city by 2030.
The idea has been praised by Sadiq Khan, with City Hall agreeing to contribute £45,000 towards a feasibility study and business case for the project.
LLDC’s latest budget documents state the new technology could generate roughly three million kilowatts of power each year.
Stuart Dossett, senior policy advisor at the environmental think tank Green Alliance, said: “It’s great to see such an iconic building, the scene for so much national pride, leading us into our greener future.
“Solar can be built quickly to produce cheap and clean energy to power our buildings. The sooner we expand the use of renewables, the sooner we can slash bills and carbon emissions,” he said.
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