Dale Vince – Ecotricity pioneer
Manchester City Football Club is set to get one of the UK’s largest land-based wind turbines provided by independent green power company Ecotricity, in a bid to curb its carbon emissions and become genuinely green in its energy supply.
The turbine has been designed by globally celebrated architect Sir Norman Foster.
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The turbine will also be used to supply energy to the homes of people in East Manchester.
The SportCity Wind Turbine project may become a worldwide first in sporting history, and for a while will single out the Manchester stadium as the only sporting arena to have its own green energy supply. The New York Knicks are planning a similar feat in their new stadium, but Man City may yet beat them to it.
“Switching to a green energy supplier is the biggest single contribution an individual or business can make to help reverse the onslaught of climate change.” Manchester City’s chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, said. At a time when the subjects of climate change and carbon emissions are dominating the headlines and the thoughts of the world’s most powerful leaders, I am proud that Manchester City is playing a significant part in safeguarding our environment. The carbon emission savings from the SportCity turbine would be equivalent to that of at least 2,000 homes.
Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, commented: This is another milestone in Ecotricity history, and I’m delighted that Manchester City FC is taking its responsibility to the environment so seriously. There are many myths about what it takes for a business to become truly green, and the SportCity Wind Turbine project will be an important example for other organisations. The Club won’t be spending any additional money on its energy supply, but will have peace of mind knowing that it’s part of a growing movement to redress climate change.
Speaking of the project, Pete Bradshaw, social responsibility manager at Manchester City Football Club said: The Club has engaged in extensive local consultation in the past 12 months, which will now be followed up with a series of formal consultation processes. Planning consent will be sought in the autumn, and if agreed, the turbine should soon be delivering energy to the people of East Manchester.
