Struggling Cheltenham Town Football Club (CTFC) may be hoping to power their way to better fortunes as we move towards the second half of the EFL season - by plugging in to greener energy.

Despite languishing at the bottom of the table due to a lack of goals since August, a successful deal to spend £90,000 on a roof-top solar panel installation will set the club ahead of league rivals and give it green bragging rights as the only EFL team in League 1 to enjoy solar power.

Stonehouse-based Cotswold Energy Group (CEG) have now installed 213 high-performance photovoltaic panels across both the Colin Farmer Stand, sponsored by JM Weston Construction, and the Hazlewoods Stand.

A spokesman for CTFC said: "The club have massively upped their efforts and goals in establishing a more sustainable and eco-friendly future, with this project right at the forefront of that.

The solar installation has the ability to generate up to 77 MWh of energy per year, which equates to an estimated reduction of 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the project's 25-year lifetime.

He added: "In football terms, that's the equivalent of planting 3,864 trees, which is enough to cover three whole football pitches. The installation is one of the biggest of its kind in the entire EFL, making the Completely-Suzuki Stadium the only ground in League One that is powered by solar energy. In addition, it is the biggest solar rooftop project in Cheltenham."

In total, the installation, which took eight weeks to complete, will account for over 25% of the stadium's power, and with the impacts of further energy-saving initiatives, that figure could rise to 30%.

Paul Bence, CTFC Commercial Director, said: "This is an important first step in creating a more sustainable, lower emissions football club. For us, it is about investing wisely in a greener future that will benefit the environment, the club, and the local community.

"Not only do we maximise our benefits on the pitch but it's off the pitch with investments like these, which are really important to the infrastructure of our football club."

Project Director Chris Wintle added: "It's a valuable long term investment and important hedge against spiralling energy costs. It has been a complex and challenging project but a great success."

Mr Bence added: "We hope it will be an inspiration for other clubs, and for more initiatives in Cheltenham and the wider Gloucestershire area."

● In May this year, CEG hit the headlines  with news of the company's purchase by industry leaders South Coast Insulation Services.