The new Solar Farm in Rome Fiumicino Airport is the largest self-consumption photovoltaic unit in a European airport.
A state-of-the-art new solar unit
Along the eastern side of runway 3 of the Roman hub, and now operational, the new unit, designed by Aeroporti di Roma and built by ENEL in cooperation with Circet, extends for almost 1.5 miles and is composed of some 55,000 monocrystalline silicon panels,, Thanks to a 22 MWp power output, it will enable the airport to produce more than 30 million kWh of electricity annually. This is a first big step that will lead the airport to have an installed capacity of 60 MWp in the next five years, with the installation of further farms within the perimeter of the current site. A capacity sufficient to meet the annual energy needs of 30,000 Italian families, for an entire year, or - translated into electric cars - to ‘fill up’ more than a million vehicles.
“Unique of its kind on the international airport scene”
“The launch of the new Solar Farm consolidates our commitment to the green transition and decarbonisation with an infrastructure that is unique of its kind on the international airport scene,- says Marco Troncone, CEO Aeroporti di Roma. -The energy independence guaranteed by this new project at our 5-star airport will make it possible to drastically reduce the environmental impact of our activities according to the sustainable development model that we have been working on for years.”
Reaching Net Zero twenty years ahead of the target
The Solar Farm, which will therefore contribute to reducing the airport's CO2 emissions by more than 11,000 tonnes every year, represents one of the most ambitious initiatives in the path of energy transition and decarbonisation advanced by Adr, with the goal of reaching Net Zero Carbon in 2030, twenty years ahead of the sector target. In addition to reducing the use of fossil fuels for the energy needs of airport operations, the new project will also increase energy independence and resilience to market volatility.
