Farnborough Airport has announced plans for a large solar installation which it says will enable the airport to generate 25% of its own power.
The plans will see solar panels mounted on top of the airport’s hangars, terminal building, control tower, ground support facility and nearby hotel, the Aviator Hampshire.
The solar installation will allow the fleet of electric vehicles to be charged, helping the airport lower its emissions.
We are always looking for new ways to supply and create sustainable energy sources
Last year, Farnborough Airport committed to be net zero by 2030, for emissions within its control.
Simon Geere, Farnborough Airport’s CEO, said: “In our efforts to be a sustainability showcase for airports around the world, we are always looking for new ways to supply and create sustainable energy sources – the new solar installation will enable us to reduce our controllable emissions as set out in our Net Zero Roadmap, in which we have committed to be net zero by 2030 or sooner.”
Construction will begin this year and will be carried out by solar power generation providers Solivus.
The company’s chief executive officer, Jo Parker Swift, said: “At Solivus, we are on a mission to simplify the decarbonisation of the built environment, so we are proud to be working alongside a business who have like-minded goals.”
The solar installation plans follow a series of sustainability milestones. In 2018, Farnborough Airport was the first business aviation airport to achieve Carbon Neutral 3+ status and earlier this year it was awarded Level 4+, the highest level of carbon accreditation, by the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme.
In 2021, it began offering all customers sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and in 2022, for a two-week trial period in the lead up to the Farnborough International Airshow, Farnborough Airport became the first airport in the world to offer SAF at the same price as standard Jet A1 fuel.
Image: Farnborough Airport
