Forest Green Rovers, stadium specialists ADI and electricity storage innovators Powervault have collaborated on a brand-new partnership to deliver the world’s most environmentally friendly stadium digital platform at the innocent New Lawn.
The platform will see the installation of the world’s first renewable energy powered digital perimeter system as well as a new stadium scoreboard.
Instead of drawing power from the National Grid, the digital signage will be powered from Powervault battery storage , which will in turn be charged using Forest Green’s own solar and wind turbines, ensuring completely carbon-free operation of the equipment.
It also marks the first installation of a digital platform in Sky Bet League Two, thanks to a host of features of ADI’s new MTD digiBOARD range that aim to make the technology more accessible to clubs outside of the top tiers.
Both scoreboard and the digiBOARD were installed and live for Forest Green Rover’s pre-season match against Cardiff City on July 20th.
About Forest Green Rovers
Founded in 1889, Forest Green Rovers is a football club with a rich history and described by FIFA as the greenest football club in the world. They are the only club in the world to have EMAS accreditation – the gold standard of environmental management.
They are also the first and only vegan football club in the world and are planning to build a stadium to match their ambitions – designed by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, ‘Eco Park’ would be the only stadium in the world made entirely of wood.
We’re pleased to welcome our newest partner for the club. ADI have provided our new pitch side and scoreboard LED screens - they’re going to be a key part of the new matchday experience as the season gets underway in just a month’s time.
Alongside the traditional sponsor messaging we’ll be adding something new, unique content from our creative director 3D – which will mix climate change messaging with real-time data.”
TECHNOLOGY
FGR will be one of the first clubs to take delivery of ADI’s MTD range of digiBOARD. Brand new for 2021, it has been completely redesigned from component level up with a host of new features designed specifically to improve efficiency, increase resilience and make ongoing maintenance quicker, easier and more cost effective.
Lifetime Efficiency
ADI have taken a holistic approach to the design of the new MTD series, focusing not only on the operating efficiency, but on reducing its overall lifetime carbon footprint:
- MTD is approximately 60% of the weight and 50% slimmer than the previous generation, leading to significant carbon reductions in shipping as well as slimmer and lighter supporting frames
- A reduction in operating power consumption of approximately 10% over previous generation thanks to the latest generation LEDs and processing
- Fully sealed units and improved protection from external elements mean that screens can be powered down safely for long periods of time, slashing standby power consumption
Moreover, MTD has been designed as a self-maintained, modular solution. With only a single power and data connector, the Club’s own team can replace any damaged tiles themselves quickly and easily, helping to reduce costs for the club and also minimising the impact and cost of sending a technician to site each time. Damaged tiles aren’t scrapped; instead they are sent to ADI’s service bench where they are repaired and they sent back to the Club to place in their stock of spares, helping to prolong the overall lifespan of the installation.
Power From Powervault
Three Powervaults are being installed under the Candriam East Stand. Before a match the Powervaults will be fully charged with renewable electricity from Forest Green’s solar and wind turbines and for the three hours of the match day experience when the ADI equipment is working, the Powervaults will discharge that stored energy to provide the electricity needed by the ADI LED panels.
We’re excited to be partnering with Forest Green Rovers on this ground-breaking deal which really demonstrates two key points: firstly that large scale digital platforms such as this needn’t come with an associated large carbon footprint. And secondly, that this type of technology isn’t just for the teams in the Premier League and Championship.
Because we design and manufacture all of our technology ourselves we have far greater levels of control over our products. The consideration we’ve put into designing the latest evolution of digiBOARD has focused not just on bringing down the upfront cost and operating efficiencies, but in maximising value and minimising environmental impact throughout the lifetime of the technology.
The sustainability ethos at Forest Green Rovers is something that really attracted us to this deal and we’re aiming to work with them and their partners to understand and implement further measures in which we can make our own business more sustainable.”
We are delighted and honoured to be partnering with Forest Green Rovers and ADI on this project to show how sporting venues, as well as the rest of us, can reduce our carbon footprint by installing the right technologies. We are not in control of when the sun shines or the wind blows, so smart energy storage systems like Powervault are an important part of the mix in making sure that we make the best possible use of 100% renewable energy by storing it and making it available when we actually need it. It is particularly impressive that the ADI LED system’s energy needs on a match day are low enough that they can be provided from domestic-scale energy storage systems.”
