Clean energy news

Solarsense install solar PV system at iconic Swansea Arena

Hundreds of thousands of people have already streamed through Swansea Arena in the two years since it opened. In the first year of the venue’s operation, over 180,000 tickets were sold for live performances, with many thousands more attending conferences, banquets, graduations and creative learning events.

This March – as the venue marks its second anniversary – events taking place at the arena include comedians Tom Allen, Leigh Francis, Rob Brydon and Romesh Ranganathan. OMD and 10CC will also soon be performing there, and there’ll be a Queen Extravaganza show produced by John Taylor and Brian May.

The arena is part-powered by over 200 solar panels on its rooftop, which help bring the venue to life. This includes over 90,000 LED lights on the exterior skin of the multi-purpose building, which help promote events taking place there. Developed by Swansea Council and run by Ambassador Theatre Group, the arena is part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal. It’s based at the city’s new Copr Bay district, which is part of Swansea’s exciting and ambitious £1bn regeneration programme. While the programme’s still unfolding, the arena has already created the desired connectivity between city centre and waterfront and given Swansea the opportunity to host far more major cultural and business events.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “Solarsense navigated the challenge of attaching the panels to the arena roof in a way that wouldn’t potentially penetrate the membrane that helps keep the building watertight. We now want this to be a test bed for other digital ideas and, in just one example, a relationship with Swansea University has resulted in the creation of a flexible, rollable solar energy panel for the roof of a cafe building that’s just adjacent to the arena. This is applied to the structure as opposed to being physically attached.”

Swansea Arena was heralded a huge achievement when it opened, not least because it was largely constructed during the pandemic while also being a shining example of sustainable development. Also developed by Swansea Council and part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal, a major new office development at 71/72 The Kingsway will be the next big project to open in the coming months. Aiming to operate at net zero, the development will accommodate space for 600 workers in sectors like tech, digital and creative industries.

The arena is one of a number of installations Solarsense, an award-winning employee ownership trust has managed in Wales in recent years. If you are considering installing solar panels for your business, please contact us.

For more information, please see the Swansea Arena solar panel case study.