Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – OH Leuven’s new stadium features 1,000+ solar panels, a superbattery, and EV charging, supplying power to 135 local homes. Alderman Thomas Van Opens and CEO Frédéric Van den Steen lead sustainability efforts.
As VRT News reported, OH Leuven football club has opened a new stadium that runs on green energy. The stadium has more than 1,000 solar panels on the roofs of the stands. The stadium also has charging stations for electric cars. A large superbattery next to the stands stores energy. This battery keeps the electricity saved for when the stadium needs it most.
“This is 100% green energy, straight from the sun, generated right in Leuven’s backyard,”
says Thomas Van Oppens (Green), Alderman for Climate and Energy.
“The solar panels will supply OH Leuven’s power needs where needed. Sometimes the football team uses a lot of power, other times less. That’s why a large battery capacity has been added. This is crucial so that the power generated by the solar panels can also be stored.”
How is OH Leuven stadium using 1,000+ solar panels to power 135 homes?
OH Leuven’s new energy stadium can now provide power to the local neighbourhood. When there is no match or activity, the stored electricity is shared with nearby homes. Bert Clinkers, Managing Director at Eneco, said,
“When there’s no activity in the stadium and no match, and therefore no need for electricity, we’ll use that electricity for customers living nearby. This way, we can supply 135 families with electricity.”
He added,
“A stadium where you not only feel the energy but also generate it yourself: that’s what we’ve achieved here together with OH Leuven.”
OH Leuven has long worked to reduce the environmental impact of football matches. The club measures energy use and looks for ways to lower it. CEO Frédéric Van den Steen said,
“We were already playing at Champions League level on the pitch,”
referring to OH Leuven Women’s recent win over Twente.
“Now we are also playing at that level off the pitch. Sustainability has always been a priority for us. We focus on both economic and ecological responsibility.”
Belgium has seen several football stadiums adopt renewable energy in recent years. Anderlecht’s Lotto Park in Brussels installed solar panels on 7,000 square meters of roof space in January 2021. These panels produce over 1 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity each year, making the stadium energy-efficient and nearly self-sufficient on match days. In Ostend, Batimont Solar Park, home to K.V. Diksmuide Oostende, was redeveloped in 2024 with a focus on modern infrastructure and sustainable energy solutions.
