THE JOINT project between the GAA and the ESB to make Dublin’s Croke Park one of the first carbon-neutral stadiums in the world has been achieved a year ahead of schedule.
The Cúl Green aims to cut down the carbon front-print at Croke Park by significantly reducing its use of non-renewable energy as well as getting fans attending matches there to travel in an environmentally sensitive way.
Last year, ahead of schedule, a saving of 4,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent was achieved by dint of more efficient use of energy and by a larger than expected response from supporters. Some 30,000 pledged to travel to and from Croke Park by alternative means of transport including buses, trains and walking.
The occasion was marked in Croke Park with an event involving Ireland’s most famous footballer, former international soccer captain Roy Keane, GAA stars Henry Shefflin of Kilkenny and Alan Brogan of Dublin, and Leinster rugby player David Kearney.
Keane is now the manager of Ipswich Town. Its stadium has also benefited from a similar initiative involving fans to reduce its carbon footprint.
“I have to give credit to a lot of people. I’m led to believe it started a couple of years ago with Ipswich. And credit must go to the GAA,” said Keane.
“Everybody is trying to save energy with the Cúl Green project. I’m all for it.”
He said he was also making efforts to be more responsible with energy use in his own life. “Sometimes it might seem small but hopefully it will make a big difference if we all try that bit harder.”
Similarly, Henry Shefflin said the success of the initiative should be a source of pride for the GAA: “The centrepiece of the GAA is Croke Park it’s great that it is taking a lead and driving home this idea.
“I’m not surprised so many GAA supporters have pledged their support. This is something that can also filter down to club and parish level,” he said.
The savings in Croke Park were achieved by a combination of initiatives. ESB chief executive Pádraig McManus outlined some of the steps that were taken.
“The first thing is that all of the electricity used in Croke Park is supplied from a wind farm in Limerick. The second part is that we placed an engineer on the staff of Croke Park to devise a plan to increase efficiency in the use of gas, electricity and waste products.
That has dramatically reduced their usage levels.
“The third aspect was getting fans to pledge. We have got over 30,000 fans to say they will change their behaviour in travelling to Croke Park. We need to get many more fans involved. But we have got off to a good start,” he said.
The ESB engineer assigned to Croke Park, Deirdre Newell, said that they had carried out an overall audit that came up with some 60 recommendations.
The audit produced 60 suggestions. The main two that have been implement was a more proficient energy monitoring system and a sophisticated building management system which has now been installed and essentially controls what is switched on and off in the stadium.
“Lighting in the stadium is a major contributor of energy usage because of the vastness of the stadium and its seven levels. The number of lights creates huge demand. We can now control that and have most efficient fittings,” she said.
The feasibility of installing solar energy and larger wind turbines were explored. But both were ruled out. Solar is expensive to install and is more suited to continuous use, not the big match day peak use of Croke Park. The wind generator was rejected on the grounds of lower winds and its location in a residential area.
However, a study is now been completed to explore the possibility of geothermal energy (taken from the ground beneath the stadium). Ms Newell said they were also assessing the use of micro wind turbines to supply very specific energy.
The goal for CO2 savings in the Cúl Green initiative for 2009 is 9,000 tonnes. That will depend on a substantial number of fans signing up.