The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New Terminal One consortium that was selected to design, build and operate the new terminal at John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) has announced during Climate Week NYC that construction has begun on a massive solar array of more than 13,000 solar panels on the terminal’s roof.
The 6.63mW of solar array on the terminal’s roof is part of a 12mW microgrid that will distribute electric energy from solar, fuel cells and batteries through a localised and self-contained energy system that can operate independently from or connected to the main power grid. This microgrid will also include 3.84mW of fuel cells and 1.5mW/3.34mWh of battery energy storage, all of which will be located in four clusters of electrical generation infrastructure strategically placed around the new terminal to create a single smart, resilient energy system. It will provide power for the terminal’s daily operations.
“Breaking ground on this first-of-its-kind microgrid solution is a major and exciting milestone in New Terminal One’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and setting a new industry standard on sustainability,” said Jennifer Aument, CEO of New Terminal One. “This resilient and efficient energy solution will simultaneously enable us to decarbonise, drive innovation, and deliver lasting benefits to both our passengers and our community.”
The microgrid will recover heat from the fuel cells to generate chilled water and hot water for the terminal. Its capacity generates enough electricity to power half of the everyday operations of the terminal, or roughly the energy to power more than 3,500 average US homes. AlphaStruxure is financing the microgrid project through an Energy as a Service (EaaS) contract, which is a long-term agreement ensuring predictable operating costs and guaranteed performance without upfront capital expenditures to neither the Port Authority nor New Terminal One. AlphaStruxure is responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the microgrid over the life of the contract.
The clean technology aligns with the Port Authority’s sustainability goals, which include reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and requiring greener operations by its business partners, such as airport terminal operators and airlines. The Port Authority, in partnership with the New York Power Authority, is also constructing a 12mW solar canopy at JFK’s long-term Parking Lot 9 that will consist of 7.5mW of battery storage for airport peak energy use and a 6mW community solar generation facility.
The New Terminal One microgrid will be especially resilient due to its novel design of clustered architecture consisting of four so-called power islands. Each power island functions as a hyper-localised, self-sufficient energy system with sources of generation, storage, and advanced automation and control. When one island is taken down for routine maintenance, the other three can remain online. The microgrid’s ability to provide half of the terminal’s own electrical needs helps to mitigate impact of a regional grid blackout on airport operations, which could lead to substantial delays for airline passengers.
Construction of the microgrid will support almost 100 local jobs, through AlphaStruxure’s design-builder partner E-J Electric Installation Co. Headquartered in Queens, E-J Electric will source all labour through local unions affiliated with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
