The Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam ran entirely on sustainable electricity during Sunday’s Dutch premiership match Ajax vs Heerenveen.
The second superbattery in the stadium, the 4,200 solar panels on the roof of the ArenA and a green energy marketplace mean that the energy supply during this premiership match was guaranteed to be 100% green. The European Union, the European Regional Development Fund and Groendus partly facilitated this project.
From the lifts to the floodlights, from the beer taps to the lighting in the players’ tunnel – everything in the ArenA is powered by green electricity during the Ajax-Heerenveen match. The energy generated by the 4,200 roof-mounted solar panels is stored in two superbatteries with a total of 8.6 megawatt hours. This would be enough to charge 1.7 million phones or provide some 20,000 households with electricity for an hour. The ArenA’s batteries are also topped up with green energy from a local wind turbine and solar farm, purchased through the Groendus energy marketplace.
‘We’re extremely proud to be able to take this major step towards making football matches more sustainable in conjunction with our partners. Our ambition is to be holding net-positive events by 2030. In other words, we want to be making only a positive contribution to society and the climate’, says Tanja Dik, CEO Johan Cruijff ArenA.
Energy storage and smart energy control mean optimum use of the green energy generated by the solar panels. The batteries support the electricity grid and serve as a storage facility when there is an energy surplus, which eases the burden on the grid and keeps it in a better state of equilibrium.
Robert van der Hoeven, CEO Groendus: ‘These batteries and our energy market place are enabling the ArenA to use sustainable solar energy and energy from a local wind turbine without delay, even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Thus ensuring that Johan Cruijff ArenA is genuinely doing its bit towards creating a greener future.’
Johan Cruijff ArenA is the Netherlands’ biggest stadium and a pioneer when it comes to sustainability. For example, the ArenA has already had a megabattery since 2018, consisting of second-hand batteries from electric vehicles. In addition to this, green energy is also being obtained from a biofermenter and purchasing wind energy. The LED grass grow system for the turf and the LED stadium lighting save the ArenA a considerable amount of energy each year. The stadium and surrounding area also function as a living lab in which innovations in such spheres as mobility, safety and sustainability are tested and created.
