FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: first carbon-neutral stadium in tournament

World Cup Stadiums Cooling Technology Engineer, Dr. Saud Abdel Ghani, has said that fans will enjoy a wonderful view of the World Cup matches inside the eight stadiums, which were built with a unique international design that contains all the details of the Gulf heritage and popular legacies in the region, which makes the tournament exceptional and distinct.

Abdel Ghani said that World Cup fans will witness the best version of the tournament that adheres to the health aspects and provides a great atmosphere, noting that FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the first carbon-neutral tournament.

He added that they also introduced the evaporative cooled-grass technique. The technique consists of straw, plastic, and carton with water added to the components, which end with releasing cooled air. 

He pointed out that their calculations included the amount of cooling released from the grass surface to reduce the cooling of the entire stadium. Dr. Abdel Ghani explained that the grass absorbs water during which transpiration, as well as evaporation, occurs, and the temperature of the grass in summer and winter reaches 29-30 degrees, regardless of the outside temperature, to reduce the cost of cooling.

He pointed out that the amount of energy used in the cooling process is derived from the main grid, which receives energy coming from the Al Kharsaah Solar Energy Project. 

Abdel Ghani said that they do not want to prove to the world that Qatar’s projects are sustainable, given that sustainability is an integral part of the Qatar National Vision 2030, so when the stadiums were designed, they did not put solar panels in every stadium, because the stadium is considered an architectural masterpiece and that is why should not put any other object next to it that might change relatively from the stadium’s look and shape.

Dr. Saud pointed out the difference in the mechanism of cooling technology works according to the design, shape, and function of each stadium, for the work team to then create customised cooling solutions for each stadium separately, covering all spaces within the World Cup facilities that will witness the tournament’s competitions, ensuring that fans and players enjoy an ideal atmosphere during the upcoming event.

He added that cooling control in each stadium is different from the other, according to the number of fans in the stadium and the temperature outside it at the specified hour, and as it is known, each stadium is different from the other. 

If we look at Al Bayt Stadium, we find it large with greater height, and its handling of the air differs compared to the Al Janoub Stadium, which contained an aerodynamic design and has a smoother design. 

Each stadium also differs in terms of its air surroundings, so we dealt with these multiple challenges with computer simulation experiences, as well as the extension of the air tunnel and how it works through similar experiments conducted at Qatar University.
Dr. Saud said that the FIFA medical team measures the temperature inside the field, and they decide to stop the match to allow the players to drink water, and they move around the field and measure the temperature throughout the 60 minutes before the match and 90 minutes of the game. 
In South Africa and China, they were demanding to stop the match, but with regard to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the matter is completely different, as we made it 100 percent easy for FIFA and those in charge as we gathered all these efforts in the control room. 
FIFA and officials will now keep track of the temperature over the second and minute, and we’ve saved them moving around the field, and they won’t need gauges.
Dr. Saud considered that this new technology may not have been addressed before and was not used in other stadiums.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar