Glasgow Airport in Scotland will install a 15 MW solar farm on site which it claims will be the largest airport-based solar farm in the country. It will generate enough power to electrify the airport campus and neighboring businesses.
The ground mounted project will be located on 30-acre land and is currently in early stages of development. Subject to planning, it is expected to become operational by summer 2023.
"All of our electricity is already purchased from 100% renewable sources and has been since 2018, however, the creation of the solar farm at Glasgow Airport will allow us to become self-sustaining by generating enough clean energy for both the airport and our neighbors," said Chief Executive of AGS Airports, Derek Provan. Glasgow Airport is part of AGS Airports that also owns Aberdeen and Southampton airports. ASG aims to go net zero by the mid-2030s.
In this solar farm on location, AGS also sees an opportunity for it to test hydrogen and electric flights as it 'gives us the ability to future proof for an increase in electricity demand'.
Provan explained, "There will be additional demand due to the electrification of operational vehicles, taxis, rental cars and we will also launch a green car scheme to support our staff to switch to electric vehicles. All of this will require electric vehicle charging infrastructure."
In 2021, another UK solar airport project was announced that is planned to be slightly larger than the Glasgow PV project. Newcastle International Airport in England plans to install a solar power plant with up to 16 MW capacity on the eastern end of the runway in a bid to meet 100% of its requirements through sustainable means. The plan is also to have battery energy storage capacity to store excess power generated (see England's Newcastle Airport Wants 16 MW Solar Power).
.png?w=50&fm=png){kind=logo}