Dublin Airport expects 20% of its electricity to come from solar energy by 2030
Dublin Airport has committed to a significant expansion of its onsite solar farm, resulting in more than 20% of the airport’s annual electricity needs coming from renewable solar energy by 2030. The Dubli Airport Authority (DAA) made the announcement today at the official opening of Phase 1 of Dublin Airport’s solar farm by Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien.
Phase 1 saw the installation of more than 15,000 solar panels by Greenvolt Next on a 28-acre site. The solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are a clean and renewable energy source, converting sunlight directly into electricity using PV cells and emitting no greenhouse gases or pollutants.
The solar farm is expected to generate up to 9GWh a year dependent on weather conditions, which is 10-13% of Dublin Airport’s annual consumption. This is sufficient to cover the electricity needs of the entire airfield, with excess electricity contributing to the energy needs of the airport terminals and campus.
Subject to planning permission, Phase 2 envisages the staged deployment of an additional 6,000 solar panels by late 2027. This is sufficient to fully power the baggage systems in Terminals 1 and 2 and means a further 4–6% of the annual electricity needs of Dublin Airport will come from renewable energy generated onsite.
A feasibility study to identify the best location on the airport campus for Phase 2 will be completed by the end of April. Dublin Airport is also developing a longer-term solar roadmap to include further phases of the solar farm and allow Dublin Airport to meet its 2030 target of 20% of electricity coming from renewable sources.
Minister O’Brien said: “Investing in renewable solar energy and exploring the potential of geothermal sets Dublin Airport up for the future and helps the airport meet its commitment to reducing its emissions by 51% by 2030. Dublin Airport’s announcement today of its commitment to expanding its solar farm is very welcome.”
Andrea Carroll, DAA group director of sustainability, said: “DAA has a very ambitious programme of decarbonisation. Phase 1 of our solar farm is now operational and Phase 2 will expand the renewable electricity output. Generating and using renewable energy is a key part of the programme to reduce emissions in line with commitments under the National Climate Action Plan. We’re excited to also be in the early stages of exploring ‘the heat beneath our feet’ to see if geothermal heating is an option for Dublin Airport and will update on this later in the year.”
Cork Airport is also progressing plans for solar power onsite. It has applied for planning permission for an elevated solar farm over the Holiday Blue surface carpark. Once approved, it is intended that this 1.8MWp solar farm will deliver up to 30% of Cork Airport’s energy needs when complete.
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