Solar panels at Newark Liberty Airport reaches key milestone

After just two months in operation, the Newark Liberty International Airport’s 5-megawatt (MW) solar project at the Terminal A parking garage has generated 1 gigawatt hour of power, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

This is the largest single solar rooftop project at any U.S. airport.

“We became the first U.S. transportation agency to embrace the Paris Climate Agreement and have taken ambitious actions to do our part to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “As part of our longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in the New York and New Jersey region, the agency has made significant investments, such as these projects, in solar energy and other renewable energy sources.”

The canopy structure atop the parking garage servicing Newark Liberty’s new Terminal A features 12,708 solar panels covering 364,000 square feet. ENGIE North America, a leader in energy transition, installed the solar panels.

“ENGIE is proud to support the Port Authority’s ambitious sustainability targets, aligned with our mission to accelerate the global transition toward net-zero carbon,” said Stefaan Sercu, ENGIE’s chief energy solutions officer. “Our team is excited to be an integral part of the Port Authority’s modern approach to becoming a more sustainable airport with the largest solar project build out of any airport structure in the country while improving operations efficiency and reducing emissions.”

Additionally, the parking garage features more than 150 electric vehicle chargers for public use. The charging stations feature sophisticated load management software so that charging will be shared from the garage’s solar energy and ensure appropriate power output for the number of cars and the duration someone will be parking there.

In related news, the Port Authority also announced a deal with TotalEnergies to begin construction of New York state’s largest solar carport at JFK in 2023.

The solar installation at JFK will create a carport canopy with solar panels on top of the southern section of the airport’s Long Term Parking Lot 9. It will provide covered parking to approximately 3,000 parking spaces. The 12.3-MW solar energy system includes 7.5 MW of battery storage, which will provide enhanced resilience to AirTrain JFK. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

The project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 5,300 metric tons annually.

In addition, the Port Authority installed more than 3,500 solar panels on the rooftop of the newly built parking garage on the western side of LaGuardia Airport, which produces more than 1.7 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually.