Football Clubs Embracing Renewable Energy: Sunderland AFC’s Solar Farm Plans and US Solar Power Dispute Resurface

Sunderland AFC has submitted a planning application to South Tyneside Council to install a solar farm at their Academy of Light, aiming to become one of the first net-zero football clubs in the UK. The proposed 40MWe facility will include ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays, substations, transformers, and other necessary infrastructure. Permission is being sought for a 30-year period from the first exportation of energy.

In the US, the Supreme Court has instructed a lower court to reconsider a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order following the rollback of the Chevron doctrine. This order required a utility to buy solar power from Broadview Solar’s 160-megawatt solar-and-battery plant in Montana, which FERC had classified as a “qualifying facility” under federal law, despite its capacity exceeding the 80-megawatt limit defined by the law.

In northeast Montana, Stellar Renewable Power plans to develop a 74.5-megawatt solar facility in Richland County. Located 2.5 miles west of Fairview, the project would generate up to 350,000 megawatt-hours annually for 35 years and connect to a Montana-Dakota Utilities substation. An open house meeting for public input will be held on July 11 at the Fairview Senior Center, and an environmental assessment is underway by the Western Area Power Administration.