The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced new plans for a major solar energy infrastructure expansion at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
The expansion will see the addition of approximately 5 megawatts of generating capacity across five airport sites, which is expected to produce almost 5.9 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity in its first year of operation.
Developed in collaboration with SunLight General Capital under a power purchase agreement; the project will be designed, built, financed, owned, operated, and maintained by the developer. All electricity purchased by the Port Authority will be provided at a pre-determined rate, locking in long-term cost certainty whilst minimising total upfront spending.
Construction is set to begin later to his year, with completion targeted for 2028. The project represents a milestone on the Port Authority’s journey to reach its sustainability goals – net-zero by 2050 – with recent efforts in 2021 seeing the agency install 1.6 megawatts of solar capacity across its facilities.
Today, the agency’s solar power generation capacity has grown to over 14 megawatts – with more than 25,000 solar panels now generating clean energy across the agency’s portfolio. This expansion of Newark Liberty will mark a nearly tenfold increase in solar energy capacity over five years, reaching nearly 20 megawatts in generating capacity across 32,000 panels.
The agency recently announced that it had preliminarily met its interim goal of a 35 percent reduction in direct emissions through 2025.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, said:Since Day One, my administration has moved quickly to bring new, clean energy onto the grid and modernise our energy infrastructure — from launching six large-scale solar and battery storage projects to accelerating solar expansion statewide.
We are continuing to lead with the Port Authority at Newark Liberty, and this project builds on that progress. This initiative will add nearly 5.9 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, support new jobs, and move us closer to clean energy future. Newark Liberty is one of the front doors to New Jersey, and this project will show why we are a national leader in energy innovation.
The new sites for solar installations at Newark Liberty will span rooftops, parking lots and parking structures, including the car park in front of Buildings 79/80 at the northeast corner of the airport campus, Terminal C garage, P4 parking garage, and rideshare lot – the last of which will be specifically sized to power fast-charging electric vehicle stations.
In total, the project is expected to avoid almost 2,000 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, and joins recent efforts made by the Port Authority to expand its solar buildout, such as the construction of a 12-megawatt solar carport at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s (JFK) Long Term Parking Lot 9, paired with 7.5 megawatts of battery storage and a community solar component that will deliver discounted clean energy to low-income residents in surrounding Queens neighbourhoods.
