Edmonton International Airport (EIA), Canada’s largest airport by land area, is about to be home to the largest airport-based solar farm on the planet. Airport City Solar, as the project is called, will dramatically transform the west-side of EIA’s lands to bring in a new clean power source for airport operations and the Edmonton Metro Region (Fortis Alberta).
Tom Ruth, President and CEO Edmonton International Airport, said:
One of our core principles is being dedicated to sustainability. With Airport City Solar and Alpin Sun, we’re creating something the whole world will notice. We’re Canada’s largest major airport by land size so we have the space to do something very special – the largest solar farm at an airport in the world. This will create jobs, provide sustainable solar power for our region, and shows our dedication to sustainability.
Alpin Sun, a European-based renewable energy company, will develop the 627-acre, 120-megawatt solar farm – which is about the size of 313 football fields. Its 340,000 solar panels will generate enough energy to power 27,000-28,000 homes. It’s expected to produce enough clean electricity annually to offset 106,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Myron Keehn, vice-president, commercial development and air service at EIA, told CBC News:
It’s a great opportunity to drive economic development as well as be better for the environment. We’re really excited that [Alpin Sun] has chosen Edmonton and the airport to do it. It’s a great location. We’ve got lots of lands, we’re geographically located north, which is great for us because it allows us to have great hours of sunlight.
As everyone knows in Edmonton, you can golf early in the morning or golf late at night in the summertime here. And in wintertime, it’s great, because of the snow, and the reflective [sunlight] off the snow that creates power as well.
Airport City Solar will bring an estimated $169 million (£98m) in investment to the city of Edmonton, and its construction will create 120 jobs for a year, with up to 250 jobs at its peak.
Tanya Fir, Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Tourism, said:
This fully private-sector investment in the world’s largest airport solar farm will create hundreds of jobs and represents an investment of nearly $170 million. The project, when combined with other recent exciting investments in renewables, shows that Alberta is the most attractive place in Canada to invest, not just in renewable energy, but across all sectors of the economy.
Construction is set to begin in early 2022 and be operational by the end of the year. The farm will be split into two parts – one with 259 acres and 48 MW and the other with 367 acres and 72 MW.
