Construction work has kicked off on a new array of 13,000 solar panels at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The array, which is set to be the largest in North America, spans the area of roughly six and a half football fields and will be capable of generating up to 6.63 megawatts of energy as part of a 12-megawatt microgrid.
Installed atop the roof of Terminal One, the microgrid will include 2.84 megawatts of fuel cells and 1.5 megawatts/3.34 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage, which will be situated in four areas of electrical generation infrastructure placed throughout the new terminal, powering its daily operations.
A key component of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s new 19 billion USD transformation of JFK into a state-of-the-art global gateway, Terminal One will include two new terminals, two expanded and modernised terminals and a newly constructed roadway network.
Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, said:When the new terminal is complete, it will be the largest terminal at Kennedy Airport, so we are particularly pleased to incorporate on-site power using a green energy source into the design of the terminal.
We have made sustainability a major priority at our facilities, and this massive solar array is a unique and innovative solution that reduces our carbon footprint and continues our march towards net zero.
The microgrid, which aligns with the Port Authority’s extensive set of sustainability goals, will recover its heat from fuel cells to generate chilled and hot water throughout the airport terminal. The power generated is expected to be sufficient enough to power up to half of the new terminal’s daily operations, roughly enough power to serve over 3,500 US homes.
The financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the microgrid is being handled by AlphaStruxure through an Energy as a Service (EaaS) contract, which will see the company enter a long-term agreement to ensure predictable operating costs and guaranteed performance.
Juan Macias, CEO of AlphaStruxure, said:When it comes to energy, airports are facing a perfect storm: More passengers, more electrification, more outages, and more power capacity bumping up against aging energy infrastructure that’s less and less able to keep up.
JFK’s New Terminal One is building sustainable energy infrastructure at the speed and scale necessary to stay ahead of these challenges. We're thrilled to provide an integrated microgrid solution via Energy as a Service that not only provides resilience for New Terminal One passengers, but advances the city, state and Port Authority's ambitious decarbonization goals.
In addition to the major array, the Port Authority, in parternship with the New York Power Authority, is also constructing a new 12-megawatt solar canopy at JFK’s long-term car park 9 consisting of 7.5 megawatts of battery storage intended for peak energy use, as well as an extra 6-megawatt community solar generation facility.
Other solar projects at Port Authority facilities include a 5-megawatt solar parking canopy at Newark Liberty International Airport, a 1.5-megawatt rooftop solar array on LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B garage, and a 600-kilowatt solar roof on a PATH warehouse rooftop.
Jennifer Aument, CEO of New Terminal One, said:Breaking ground on this first-of-its-kind microgrid solution is a major and exciting milestone in New Terminal One’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and setting a new industry standard on sustainability.
This resilient and efficient energy solution will simultaneously enable us to decarbonize, drive innovation, and deliver lasting benefits to both our passengers and our community.
Construction of the new terminal will see the creation of nearly 100 local jobs, with E-J Electric sourcing all labour through local unions affiliated with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
