Argyle extends its green credentials with ‘green energy’ partnership
PLYMOUTH Argyle Football Club is proving it’s not just the colour of their shirts that is green – the club’s energy policy is too.
The League One outfit has just extended its official energy partnership with award-winning Plymouth green tech innovators IU Energy until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
The agreement extends IU Energy’s support for the Pilgrims into its 12th year, with the Drake Mill Business Park-based company first joining the club as a partner back in 2009.
Having won multiple national awards for innovation and green credentials, the club sees IU Energy as an essential long-term partner, helping Argyle to make a significant contribution towards the city of Plymouth’s 2030 net-zero carbon target.
IU Energy is perhaps best-known to the Green Army of Argyle fans as the company behind the installation of 59kW solar panels on the roof of the newly-developed £8million Mayflower Grandstand, which are arranged to spell out the letters PAFC
– as captured by a number of aerial drone shots of the Theatre of Greens.
IU Energy chief executive Duncan Banks, said: “Plymouth Argyle is a high-profile example of a green organisation in our city, and we are delighted to continue helping them set that example.”
Chaz Lawrence, IU Energy’s managing director, added: “We would also like to congratulate them on their recent EFL Family Excellence Award and of course their strong performance in Sky Bet League One. We look forward to working with them once again.”
The Pilgrims’ head of commercial operations James Greenacre said: “The renewal of our partnership with IU Energy is a tremendous boost for the football club, and cements our commitment to a Green future, both on and off the field. We would like to thank Duncan, Chaz and the rest of the IU Energy team for their unwavering support of the club – not just as a partner, but also as members of the Green Army, and we look forward to achieving great things together in the coming seasons.”
The solar installation at the Mayflower stand consists of 214 Solar PV modules, which will save Argyle hundreds of thousands of pounds during the next 20 years. It will also have a major impact on their carbon emissions and demonstrates a real commitment to sustainability by the club.
IU Energy was formed in 2002 as a procurement broker, but expanded into an energy consultancy, engineering, and compliance, finding clever ways to reduce firms’ energy costs. It merged with engineering company Amer (UK) Ltd, an electrical and mechanical specialist which installs energy saving equipment, in 2016 and became part of the Inspired Energy PLC group of companies in 2019.