Expanding on the property of the Darwin International Airport site, which is already a whopping 300 hectares, is already impressive when it comes to solar potential. This approach will be done with additional solar panels to appear on rooftops. That said, a total of 4MW of additional solar energy will be added to these areas:
- Bunnings
- Cold Storage Facility
- Southern Osgood Business Park
- Main Airport terminals, including the parking area
DIA, which is owned, operated, and managed by the Airport Development Group already has a solar photovoltaic capacity of 6 megawatts. At the first stage, it had 4MW and went live in 2016. At the time, it was the largest airside solar farm, with the potential to save Darwin International Airport $1.5 million per annum.
The second staged featured a 1.5MW capacity. In that regard, the site already has a number of rooftop solar energy systems installed.
Because of this, the DIA won the Asia-Pacific Green Airports Platinum Award in 2017 for their eco-friendly facilities and practices, while maintaining around 25 million passengers annually.
The established photovoltaic capacity at the airport provided 8,297 MWh of clean energy in the financial year of 2019 to 2020, according to ADG. This was then assumed to be enough to operate 84% of the properties and structures, including the main terminals.
Solar Power and the Ease of Use
A new solar panel system that will not only pay for the financial year’s needs in the short term is installed at Alice Springs Airport in the year prior to this one. It has, in fact, covered the expenses for the whole year.
With regards to getting out the award in 2013 for early solar installation covering an airport car park, SAS also benefits from having a renewable energy component for the next project already underway.
These solar projects were highlighted in recent times by manager David Baltic, who opined that it’s an excellent idea as far as business is concerned. However, it was also an excellent move for the environment and for the community.
The $5 million that ADG made in Darwin Airport’s power capacity expansion has been fully backed by Northern Australia Infrastructure. This means that the project will receive the full return on investment.
Over $5 billion from the Commonwealth has been granted to eligible state projects covering nearly the whole of Western Australia.
With that, this functions more than just an economic benefit requiring energy ventures to have enough funds. The project must also serve the public good and include benefits beyond what is obtained by the developer.
Adding a layer of greenness to the new solar-energy project has helped establish the credibility of the industry. Therefore, local businesses may be able to assist where it is appropriate.