John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)’s New Terminal One will soon feature the largest solar array of any airport terminal in the United States.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and the New Terminal One consortium announced the beginning of construction on the solar array, which will feature more than 13,000 panels and cover the size of six and a half football fields on the terminal’s roof. The project is part of the Port Authority’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and will be one of several solar projects in development across JFK, LaGuardia International Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
JFK’s New Terminal One solar array will supply 6.63 megawatts of a 12-megawatt terminal microgrid that is able to operate independently from the airport’s power grid and fuel half of the terminal’s daily operations. New Terminal One’s microgrid is also structured to mitigate the effects of regional grid blackouts. Energy provider AlphaStruxure will finance, construct and manage the solar array’s operations in collaboration with parent company Schneider Electric; global investment firm Carlyle; engineer firms Burns and Vanderweil Engineer; BOND Civil & Utility Construction; fuel cell providers HyAxiom and Queens-based E-J Electric Installation Company.
“This construction milestone in our redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport represents more than progress at one of our facilities because its success will set an industry example for others,” said Port Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole. “On-site green energy development such as the country’s largest airport solar array will reduce the generation of greenhouse gasses that cause climate change at the New Terminal One.”
