Udinese Calcio and Bluenergy Group’s joint commitment towards environmental sustainability and social benefit has taken a huge step forward today. Coinciding with the two companies’ announcement of the conclusion of the work on the photovoltaic power system located on the roof of Bluenergy Stadium, a new project involving the local area and people of Friuli-Venezia Giulia comes to life.
THE ENERGY COMMUNITY
The "Energia in campo"project is born. It is a Comunità Energetica Rinnovabile [Renewable Energy Community (CER)] that will allow the club's supporters and businesses in the area surrounding the facility involved in the scheme to share and use the surplus energy produced by the Bluenergy Stadium solar park.
Local businesses have already expressed interest in the project, and the official presentation coincides with the start of the process through which Udinese fans can sign up to the energy supply. This initiative establishes a sustainable, inclusive, and accessible model for energy production and management, through the first CER linked to the solar park of a football stadium.
THE SOLAR PARK
Local businesses have already expressed interest in the project, and the official presentation coincides with the start of the process through which Udinese fans can sign up to the energy supply. This initiative establishes a sustainable, inclusive, and accessible model for energy production and management, through the first CER linked to the solar park of a football stadium.
THE SOLAR PARK
Completed just a few days ago by the Bluenergy team, the photovoltaic power system located on the roof of the stadium owned by the club is a cutting-edge construction featuring 2,409 latest generation solar panels capable of producing an average of about 3,000 kWh/day. Designed with the support of the Polytechnic University of Milan who acted as the energy advisor, the facility, whose panels occupy a total of 4,615 square meters, adds further elements of innovation to a sports facility that is already at the vanguard of cutting-edge stadiums of the future in Europe in terms of design, multifunctionality, safety and sustainability.
THE SOCIAL PROJECT
The sports facility itself will use about 70% of the energy generated by the solar panels, while the remaining 30% will be made available to the energy community, which will in turn be able to benefit from the incentives that the Energy Services Manager ring-fences for the energy produced by the facility and simultaneously consumed by the CER. In order to further enhance the support to the local area these resources will be allocated to a social charity project that aims to support the Azienda sanitaria universitaria Friuli Centrale [Friuli Centrale University Health Authority (ASUFC)] and specifically the Child Neuropsychiatry facility which deals with problems related to eating disorders in minors and adolescents. In addition to the activities and treatments currently carried out at the Day Centres for Eating Disorders in Developmental Age, the creation of a Residential Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders is planned in 2025, which will be the first residential facility for patients with nutrition and eating disorders in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The decision to support this cause stems from the desire to address an issue of great importance with an integrated and multidisciplinary approach, which is fundamental for the treatment of eating disorders from a young age. Thanks to the contributions deriving from the CER's activities it will be possible not only to finance the purchase of goods and materials, but also to run workshops and activities, including outside of the facilities, offering patients rehabilitation experiences in a non-hospital environment, therefore promoting a treatment path that aims to reintegrate the young person back into normal life.
A PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY
The solar park and the creation of the CER are a further step in the commitment to sustainability that guides the partnership between Udinese Calcio and Bluenergy Group. This commitment has already made Bluenergy Stadium the leading sports facility in Italian football for the challenge of achieving zero CO2 emissions and on other fronts of environmental safeguarding.
Despite the resulting greater burdens, the club wanted the construction to take place in the site occupied by the previous facility, in order to avoid using up more land. Material was also reused from the previous facility. Similarly, the decision to create a structure that can be used every day of the week instead of just on matchdays is noteworthy. It already houses a meeting centre, the club’s headquarters, offices for businesses and institutions, and shops. In the near future a museum, a wellness centre and family areas will be opened too. In recent years, Bluenergy has also supplied the club with energy from renewable sources leading to a saving of about 6,500 tons of CO2. These achievements are accompanied by those at international level by Udinese Calcio as a member of the ECA Working Group - the equivalent of the General Confederation of Italian Industry for European football - and as a signatory club of the Climate Pact at the UN COP29 conference in Baku together with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Betis, Porto and Qarabag.
"The completion of the solar park and the launch of the world's first football CER mark an extraordinary milestone in our commitment to sustainability,” commented Alberta Gervasio, CEO of Bluenergy Group. “This project not only significantly reduces the environmental impact of the stadium but introduces an innovative model of sharing renewable energy that involves businesses and fans, providing added value for the local area. We’re particularly proud that the benefits of the energy community are allocated to a social project of great importance, an initiative that demonstrates how the energy transition can go beyond environmental protection and become a driver of concrete change, capable of improving people's lives and strengthening the link with the community."
"Today is a historic moment - the creation of the first energy community in Italian football is born from the Bluenergy Stadium,” offered Franco Collavino, General Manager of Udinese Calcio. “It’s a unique project that goes hand in hand with the solar park and that sees us, together with Bluenergy, once again acting as pioneers, allowing us to consolidate our stadium as a global model of sustainability. The energy community makes our stadium project a solid point of reference for the local area, giving fans the opportunity to team up with us for the environment by becoming true ambassadors for sustainability. We’re also delighted with the involvement of Udinese Per la Vita ONLUS thanks to the implementation of beneficial projects for the local area with the proceeds of the incentives of the energy community."