South Australia’s Adelaide Airport has announced it will install the largest airport rooftop solar power system in the country.
The 1.17MW PV array, which will also be the biggest private-sector owned solar power system in South Australia, will slash Adelaide Airport Ltd’s mains supplied electricity consumption and carbon emissions by nearly 10%.
The new project will build on existing solar panels already installed at the airport, bringing total capacity to 1.28MW. The original arrays were installed on the roof of the domestic and international terminal in 2007.
“Adelaide Airport is again proud to be an aviation industry leader in sustainability,” said Managing Director, Mark Young.
Last year, Adelaide and Parafield Airports, both operated by Adelaide Airport Ltd (AAL), were the first Australian capital city airports to be accredited (Level 2) under the Airport Carbon Accreditation program. AAL recognises the world is heading towards a carbon constrained future requiring businesses to address various risks associated with climate change and energy.
“Adelaide Airport’s vision is to be a top tier airport business centre in the Asia Pacific region, and further improving our environmental credentials is a key part of this vision,” said Mr. Young.
Adelaide Airport Ltd’s other energy efficiency initiatives include sensor-operated and LED lighting, smart heating and cooling, and 10% of its purchased retail electricity is certified GreenPower. AAL has also begun upgrades to its vehicle fleet; including the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles.
Construction on the new solar power system is expected to start in December and be completed by April 2016.
According to Energy Matters, Adelaide Airport receives solar irradiation levels of around 4.96 kilowatt hours per square metre daily.
Adelaide Airport Limited purchased the operating leases for Adelaide and Parafield Airports in May 1998, to operate both airports for the next 50 years with an option for a further 49 years. Adelaide is currently the fourth-largest domestic airport and sixth-largest international airport in Australia; serving more than 7.7 million passengers annually.
Another large PV system to be installed at an Australian airport soon is a 1MW facility to be constructed by SunEdison at Karratha Airport. The plant will be Western Australia’s largest airport solar power station.
Alice Springs Airport is also beefing up its solar capacity; adding another 1,000 solar power panels and bringing its combined total solar capacity to more than 800kW.
