City's wind turbine bid approved

September 28, 2006

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MANCHESTER City's football stadium will become the first in the world to be solely powered by renewable energy after an application to install a wind turbine was approved by city councillors.

The 85-metre-high Ecotricity wind turbine, which includes a viewing platform and a "green energy" classroom, will be built at the clubs City of Manchester Stadium in the east of the city.

Designed by celebrated architect, Sir Norman Foster, it will be one of the tallest wind turbines in western Europe, with the blade tip reaching 120 metres, dwarfing the nearby 56 metre high B of the Bang sculpture.

As well as supplying the stadium at Sportcity, the turbine should generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 1,250 homes. Any home or business in Manchester will be able to tap into the surplus and buy environmentally-friendly power from Ecotricity at the same price as from their regional supplier.

Neil Swannick

Manchester City Council spokesman Councillor Neil Swannick said it would make the sports facility one of the most environmentally friendly in the world.

"East Manchester has a long history of energy production, it is therefore fitting that the area is pioneering the provision of renewable energy in the city."

Manchester City Football Club spokesman Pete Bradshaw said the club was excited to be helping the city achieve significant carbon emission reductions.

"The wind turbine is a significant part of a range of energy efficiencies and recycling projects that the club is involved in," he added.

The wind turbine will be operational in 2007.

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Ace Riley, manchester (28/09/2006 at 17:22)

Well done this will certainly look great and lets hope they paint it in a nice arty fashion so that its different than the usual grey or white Ect .Once again well done we need more of these friendly power turbines.Unless people make decisions like this we will be forever stuck with fossil fuels we need to go forward.....Manchester the thinking city!!!

Mike, Manchester (28/09/2006 at 17:25)

I would like to echo Manchester City Football Club spokesman Pete Bradshaw - after all who wouldn't be excited about helping the city achieve significant carbon emission reductions........., slow news day by any chance lads!

Number Six, The Village (28/09/2006 at 17:32)

Anyone know exactly where they are going to put it? Anywhere to the South or West could mean shadow flicker accross the pitch which would be akin to the messy shadows of the superstructure at the Reebok. Also, does it mean more road closures similar to that around our prescious B of the Bad?

Robin, Stretford (28/09/2006 at 17:41)

Do we make the money out of it? Can we become a energy supplier to Manchester homes and get some much needed cash or is it going back to the council? Hope we have back up supply if it goes wrong, don't want us to be a laughing stock.

David, London (28/09/2006 at 17:42)

wot the hell do city want one of them for, to play up front??

Pravda, M/cr (28/09/2006 at 17:45)

I'm sure Mr Barton can keep it going on his own with all the hot air that comes from his mouth!

fred the happy red, salford 7 (28/09/2006 at 17:48)

ha ha ha ha city all over ha ha ha ALL WIND ALL TALK AND NO TROPHIES ha ha ha ha ha 30 YEARS ha ha ha

Alfresco, Thewop (28/09/2006 at 17:48)

What a good idea. Environment friendly energy generation is one thing and a very important one thing but the education provision is almost more important. Society (starting with kids) needs to learn and adopt conservation as a way of life through recycling of heat as well as materials, use of low energy/energy efficient equipment and insulation. It's easy to be 'against' things like nuclear energy, acid rain and greenhouse gasses but we all want the lights to go on when we press the switch in the morning and we want a cold beer from the fridge at night! Cut consumption by 30% and create 30% of our energy needs through reewable and free energy sources like wind, wave and sun, and more than half the problem is solved. Good on you MCFC and I hope it also becomes one small part of the commercial department that actually makes a profit!!!!!

Matt, Italy (28/09/2006 at 18:13)

Hopefully it will put a bit of wind up the players!!

doug, manc (28/09/2006 at 18:35)

Dont know why we need this with all the hot air that comes from the board we should have enough power to light the whole city.

7501, Northwich (28/09/2006 at 19:12)

There's been plenty of laughtng gas served up by City over the last 30yrs.And still counting.

The Pope, Rome (28/09/2006 at 19:29)

I think this is a great idea. The whole area that is Eastlands is an interesting place to visit with lots of things to see. For me I even think that B of the bang looks good (well from a distannce it looks very rusty if you are nearby).
They just need to fill in the areas of overgrown grass!

Joey, Ashton under Lyne (28/09/2006 at 19:51)

" First in the world to be solely powered by wind"
I very much doubt it, when the wind doesn't blow - when the gearboxes break etc means that they will be no electricity generated and they will rely on the national grid. There is a wind farm off the coast of Norfolk with over 25 turbines it operates at 23 percent of it's designed capacity- Has Sir Norman guaranteed 100% performance? Nobody would have asked! but the answer would have been No.

eldablue, macc (28/09/2006 at 20:00)

Hope its built better than that B for bang "thing" which seems to lose an arm at every visit I make to the stadium. If a 120 meter high turbine breaks loose during a home match attendances could be cut in half literally.

StretfordBLUE, Virginia (28/09/2006 at 20:26)

Interesting, money available for this but not to buy players. Who is paying for this, anyway?

Auckland Blue, New Zealand (28/09/2006 at 21:01)

That sounds absolutely fantastic. If they point it in the right direction it could supply the whole country with all the hot air comming out of old trafford!

andy, manchester (28/09/2006 at 21:14)

its gonna look like teletubbie land i can just see it now.we are a laughing stock without this happening so why does the club keep doing this to us?? eeeeeeh hoooooooo

Blue Boy, In USA :) (28/09/2006 at 21:17)

Come on Guys, there has got to be a few hilarious posts in response to this article;

1) We could do with one of these strapped to TS !

2) Now if we could only capture all the hot air emmitted from Old Trafford, we could have heated seats in the stadium

3) Economics lesson : Decrease the price of Chicken Balti Pies = Increase Consumption = Excess Gas = Better Turbine Performance ....

Any more :)

David Korinek, Wisconsin Usa (28/09/2006 at 21:55)

Either your stadium uses very little energy and the wind never stops blowing, at 38 miles an hour. or you are going to use other energy! Some research and honesty in an article would be nice. Also the cost of that turbine would probably pay for your power for 50 years. We need an honest breakthru in energy production.
'Thanks

dakeb, somerset (28/09/2006 at 22:25)

bit over the top, all you really need is dickov and a large hamster wheel.

simon, manchester (28/09/2006 at 22:59)

If its not windy do will night matches be postponed? On the other hand, if the ticket office's computers can't work becasue there is no wind, the staff will have to go back to the manual methods. Things were quite bad in those days, but the ticket office has become even more of a total fiasco since they got computers they don't know how to use.

Edski Vega, Notts (28/09/2006 at 23:01)

Wow times really are hard at COMS. This will be an absolute monsterous eyesore. This thing is going to dwarf everything in site.

bezzer, hyde (28/09/2006 at 23:40)

glad to see the blues can now claim they are a massive club,
after all they have got the biggest fan in town.
wonder when lala, dipsey.tinkywinky and poe will be signed up

Vlad The Impaler, The Shadowlands (29/09/2006 at 02:30)

Lets hope it replaces that rusty old kerplunk that is supposed to be art

Lauren big joey barton/ mcfc fan, manchester (29/09/2006 at 07:58)

its a football pitch not an art gallery!! let them concerntrate on playing football there!

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