Dubai's Sevens Stadium is region's first sports facility to use solar power

New solar carport at the stadium will boost clean energy supply

Solar panels cover 10,550 square metres at The Sevens Stadium Dubai and generate sufficient electricity for floodlights, indoor and street lighting, chillers and water and irrigation pumps at the stadium complex. Photo: Emirates GroupShow less

The Sevens Stadium in Dubai is now the region’s first sports facility to harness solar energy for its operations as the UAE pushes ahead with clean energy and reducing emissions.

Emirates Group chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum unveiled the solar carport at the stadium, which provides shaded car parking for more than 550 vehicles, including four charging lots for electric cars.

Emirates Group owns and manages the stadium.

The new solar carport will generate sufficient clean energy to power all the stadium’s operations throughout the year except in the week of the Emirates Dubai 7s, when supplementary power will be required for the city’s biggest sporting and lifestyle event.

"The Emirates Group already utilises solar-powered clean energy in our operations, including buildings at our Engineering Centre and Emirates Flight Catering,” Sheikh Ahmed said.

“This new solar carport at the Sevens Stadium is our latest commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, in line with Dubai’s vision to transform into a carbon neutral economy by 2050.”

The UAE has announced a net zero 2050 strategy, with clean and renewable energy investments worth Dh600 billion ($163.5bn) planned over the next three decades.

The country is building new renewable energy projects to boost the supply of clean energy in the country, including the world’s largest solar plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi with a capacity of two gigawatts, as well as Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai with a five-gigawatt capacity.

The Sevens Stadium’s new solar carport uses 4,500 solar panels over an area of 10,550 square metres to generate 3.6-gigawatt hertz of clean energy in its first year, Emirates Group said.

It also reduces carbon dioxide emissions at the site by 1,496 metric tonnes annually, apart from generating enough electricity to power floodlights, indoor and street lighting, chillers, as well as water and irrigation pumps at the stadium complex.

The Sevens Stadium hosted numerous sports events with more than 10,000 people a week attending events during the winter months. It hosted international teams and events such as Olympic preparation training and matches, two editions of the Emirates Dubai 7s tournaments in 2021 and, most recently, the Rugby World Cup qualification tournament.

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Nostalgic look at the Dubai Sevens

An early Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament, started by the Dubai Exiles RFC. The tournament was birthed in 1970, when the host club, Dubai Exiles, invited sides to play a competition in rugby’s abridged format. The invitees included teams from the British armed forces, who were happy for the break from garrison duties in what was then the Trucial States. The Exiles were the leading force in the early years of Gulf rugby. Courtesy Peter Thomas

Dubai Exiles ar Rugby Sevens, December 1981. France have never won the Sevens. The closest they have got was when Les Bleus lost the 2011 final to England. But French hands have been on the Emirates International Trophy before, when Toulouse won the main competition in 1990.Courtesy: Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens

The first Dubai sevens games were played on sand pitches. Courtesy Peter Thomas

France have never won the Sevens. The closest they have got was when Les Bleus lost the 2011 final to England. But French hands have been on the Emirates International Trophy before, when Toulouse won the main competition in 1990. ALLSPORT/ Getty

Some people get wistful about the old days of playing on sand. Others only remember the pain. “It was like playing in flour with bits of brick in it,” Mike Jackson, a former Dubai Hurricanes player, said of the experience. “Then you would get nicks and cuts that would go septic.” ALLSPORT/ Getty

The tournament was played on sand up until 1995, when the pitches at the old Dubai Exiles ground were turfed thanks to huge investment by Emirates Airline. In the last final on sand in 1994, South Korea beat the Warblers 21-20. ALLSPORT

Dubai was one of the legs of the new World Sevens Series formed in 1999. Even though both the event and the series have become increasingly formalised since, the best known faces are often to be seen with the amateur teams on the outside fields. Like in 2006, when the reigning world player of the year Dan Carter was waterboy for Stefan’s BHF.

The tournament relocated from its original home in Al Awir to a new purpose-built site further into the desert in 2008. The new Sevens Stadium played host to that year’s Sevens, and also staged the format’s World Cup in 2009.

The tournament relocated from its original home in Al Awir to a new purpose-built site further into the desert in 2008. The new Sevens Stadium played host to that year’s Sevens, and also staged the format’s World Cup in 2009.

Nobody has tasted success in the international tournament at the Sevens more often than coach Ben Ryan. The Londoner oversaw wins with England in 2010 and 2011, then with Fiji in 2013 and 2015.

Nobody has tasted success in the international tournament at the Sevens more often than coach Ben Ryan. The Londoner oversaw wins with England in 2010 and 2011, then with Fiji in 2013 and 2015.

Rarely have more stars shared a field at the Sevens than when union royalty J9 Legends faced rugby league all-stars Joining Jack in the Vets event in 2013. It pitted the likes of Carlos Spencer, Stephen Larkham and Waisale Serevi against Jason Robinson and Andy Farrell. Jake Badger for The National

J9 Legends made the final that season, but were beaten by Xodus Steelers in a classic encounter on Pitch 1. It was memorable less for the match, as the emotional scenes after, when J9 captain Serevi pushed Joost van der Westhuizen, who was stricken by motor neuron disease, through a guard of honour. Jake Badger for The National

A year earlier, in 2012, Joining Jack had a celebrity fanboy running on water for their players. Bradley Wiggins had recently won the Tour de France and Olympic Gold, and was days away from being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. A knighthood was in the offing, too.

Joining Jack, a charity side that raises awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, do a good line in celebrity fans. In 2015, Owen Farrell struck a notable figure on the sideline, while supporting father Andy in the Vets tournament.

One of the greats of England rugby, Maggie Alphonsi, played for Tribe 7s in the Invitational Open in 2014. “Maggie the Machine” was not the only World Cup-winner on the outside fields that season, either. Steve Thompson, the hooker for the 2003 champions England, played for Gulf Legends in the International Vets. Satish Kumar / The National

In 2015, former Scotland wing Thom Evans danced past a load of defenders to score a try for UR7s Wanderers in the International Open on Pitch 2. It was his first touch of the ball on his return to the game after five years out with a serious neck injury while on international duty. Victor Besa for The National

Perhaps the most poignant victory in all 50 years of Dubai Sevens tournaments came in 2017, when Speranza 22 won the final of the International Invitational. The team had been set up in memory of Marcos Speranza, who had won the Gulf Under 19 title with Abu Dhabi Harlequins but later died in an air crash in his native Argentina. Courtesy Rory Greene

The Al Maha team made history when they competed in the Gulf U18 Girls tournament by becoming the first all-Emirati female side to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai Hurricanes’ bid for a hat-trick of Gulf Men’s League trophies will have to wait until next year. They won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The incredible 50-year journey of Dubai Rugby Sevens embodies the spirit of the city. Victor Besa / The National