Birmingham Airport in the UK is installing a 6.8 megawatt (MW) configuration of solar panels will provide at least 20% of its on-site electrical power by May 2024.
The project will include the installation of 12,804 photovoltaic panels on a 1.5km long, 6m high, noise-blocking embankment which flanks the northeastern edge of the airport’s runway, beside the West Coast main line railway.
To keep the local community informed, representatives from Birmingham Airport dropped cards with details about the project through letterboxes of those living on the affected roads.
“Installing our own green energy sources on our airfield is one of many things we are doing to reduce our carbon footprint and become a net zero operation by 2033,” said Simon Richards, Chief Finance and Sustainability Officer at BHX.
Once operational the new solar array will also reduce the airport’s reliance on the power grid and reduce its exposure to market price volatility.
“In the next decade we will see many transformational steps forward in the aviation sector, including the game-changing prospect of hydrogen-powered, zero-emission passenger flights. With the impacts of climate change all too real, steps like this represnet us doing our bit to help protect our planet’s future for generations to come,” continued Richards.
Work on the solar array, which doesn’t require planning permission as it is permitted development, will begin in September 2023 and is expected to be complete in May 2024. Any noisy work will not take place until after 0900 to minimise impacts on the airport’s neighbours.
