A new airside solar farm has officially opened at Edinburgh Airport, marking a milestone as one of the first to be opened in the UK.
Opened by Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, the eleven-acre farm is situated adjacent to Edinburgh Airport’s runway, and will provide up to 27% of the airport’s total energy needs.
Thus far this year, the airport has operated solely on solar power between the hours of 08:30 and 19:00 on several separate occasions.
The project, the first of its kind in Scotland, has been supported by 2.1 million GBP of Scottish Government funding aimed at aiding businesses to decarbonise.
Delivered in partnership with AMPYR Solar Europe (ASE), which aided in the development, funding and operation of the project, the farm was installed in 2024 and has now been operating for a full year.
Edinburgh Airport is the only airport in Scotland to reach Level 4+ in the global Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme, making it one of fifty worldwide and six in the UK.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said:Making sure we have a sustainable future is one of our most important goals, and it’s important that we innovate and harness technology that can help deliver that for the airport.
The introduction of the UK’s first airfield solar farm is a key part of our Greater Good sustainability strategy, delivering almost 27% of our energy needs and diversifying our energy mix – and we are proud to be an airport that continues to look to innovative solutions to meet our goals.
It also demonstrates how government and the private sector can work together to help deliver a more sustainable Scotland alongside, in our case, the benefits of air travel and connectivity to the economy.
