Glasgow Airport has finished the development phase and concluded the financial close on a project to build a 19.9-MW solar farm next to Barnsford Road in Scotland.
According to a statement released on Monday, construction works are set to take place over the following couple of months, with the final touch of the primary segment being eyed for the subsequent summer.
Zestec, a solar developer owned by UK supplier Octopus Energy Group will build, own and operate the facility. This development will be made possible with a GBP 18.5 million investment funded by Net Zero consultancy Ikigai Group, a leading player in developing renewable projects for large infrastructure operators.
This project is the largest airport based solar farm in Scotland at the moment. The project is going to sit on 40 acres with ground-mounted solar panels that are expected to generate sufficient power to light about 15% of homes in Scotland’s largest city of Glasgow.
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The project is part of an Energy Innovation mandate to create a multi-model, low-carbon, and multi-fuel energy hub that will future proof the airport’s infrastructure.
According to Ikigai Group, they are currently working with the airport on additional on-site energy solutions, including the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging points and green hydrogen production, with low-cost, private wire solar energy as the enabler.
Glasgow Airport Operations Director, Ronald Leitch, stated that “the development of the solar farm marks a key milestone in the sustainability journey to give the airport the ability to generate clean energy on-site.” He further stated that this project advances the plans to decarbonize the airport’s operations while adhering to the net-zero ambitions of their partners and neighbours. This, most importantly also lays the foundation to turn the airport into a green energy hub which allows for plans to support zero-emission flights.
This is a highly anticipated project since there is shared vision from Ikigai, Zestec and the airport for a sustainable future.
