Airport News
Adelaide Airport is planning to build the largest airport rooftop solar power system in Australia. The 1.17Mw system is to be built on the short-term car park roof by utility company Solgen Energy. When completed, the project will reduce Adelaide Airport’s energy consumption and carbon emissions by close to 10%.
The rooftop construction will be the largest private-sector solar power system in South Australia and will be more than 10 times larger than the airport’s existing system, bringing the total rooftop solar capacity to 1.28Mw. Construction work on the new solar system is expected to start in December 2015 and will be completed by April 2016.
Mark Young, managing director at Adelaide Airport, said, “Adelaide Airport is again proud to be an aviation industry leader in sustainability. This solar system significantly reduces our energy consumption, while assisting the state government in achieving its renewable energy targets.
“Earlier this year we became the first airport in Australia to be recognized by the global Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program for optimizing our management and reduction of carbon emissions.
“Adelaide Airport’s vision is to be a top tier airport business center in the Asia Pacific region, and further improving our environmental credentials is a key part of this vision.”
David Naismith, director for Solgen Energy, said, “This project further demonstrates the growing uptake of solar power as an integral part of any business’s energy mix, irrespective of industry. Working within Adelaide Airport’s site constraints we engineered a bespoke solution to solve the delicate balance of optimizing power output, while delivering a robust business case.
“We’re excited about our partnership with Adelaide Airport to deliver a project that provides a cornerstone to the airport’s environmental objectives showcased across 8,000m² (86,000ft²) of rooftop.”
