A 3-megawatt solar installation on the top deck of two Terminal 1 parking structures at Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) will be, upon completion, the state of Minnesota’s largest solar-generation site.
The project involves converting more than 7,700 metal halide light fixtures in four parking ramps to energy-saving LED technology. Four additional electric vehicle charging stations also will be installed in the ramps, bringing the total at MSP to 18.
The projects are expected to be completed by next October and will increase the state’s cumulative solar capacity by 20 percent. According to airport officials, the installation could generate close to 20 percent of the airport’s power supply when operating at peak capacity.
“This ambitious new solar energy project will create jobs, reduce the airport’s carbon footprint and save the airports commission hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” says Jeff Hamiel, executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Ameresco, an energy efficiency and renewable energy company, is leading the $25.4 million project and working with a number of Minnesota-based firms.
