The installation of the solar panels was carried out by E.ON’s Connecting Energies business, and is expected to reduce the building’s carbon footprint by 130 tonnes per year and cut around £20,000 per year in energy bills.

The panels on the 8,100 sqm venue, the latest addition to BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena, should generate around 250,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually – enough to power the equivalent of 78 average UK homes according to Ofgem.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: “Providing a green venue was vital to The ACC Liverpool Group from the outset as the existing building is one of the greenest of its kind in Europe.

“The installation of the PV panels will enable the company to generate some of its own power across all of its three venues for at least two decades.  It will make significant energy savings thanks to the array of panels.

“This demonstrates The ACC Liverpool Group’s commitment to the environment, and to its clients and visitors and is part of my pledge to make Liverpool a cleaner, greener city.”

Brian Gladwin, key account manager for E.ON, added: “We’ve provided a total energy package for the ACC Liverpool Group for seven years and our relationship has always been about more than simply supplying energy. We’ve offered our expertise and insight to help make this one of Europe's most sustainable venues and installing this solar array is another great step in that journey.

“Whether it’s about using less energy in the first place, managing consumption in a smarter way or even generating that power yourself, the work we’ve done with The ACC Liverpool Group is a great example of what solutions are available to help businesses to cut costs and improve their environmental credentials.”