Birmingham Airport attains solar ops milestone

Above: Alpha Bund at Birmingham Airport.
Courtesy BHXt

In recent weeks, the airport’s 6.8-megawatt solar farm has been powering 100% of the organisation’s required energy usage during some parts of the day, exceeding pre-set targets and helping eliminate carbon emissions.
 
BHX started its solar energy journey in 2012 when it installed panels on the terminal roof.  To complement this, last year the airport invested nearly £10m in a solar farm, featuring over 12,000 panels. The airport then installed a third solar installation of 90kWh light-weight solar film on the roof of the North Terminal to maximise solar energy generation. Comprised of photoactive material, the thin film will help improve energy efficiency in the terminal by reflecting light and subsequently reducing heat.
 
The transition from conventional power sources to solar energy will also reduce the airport’s reliance on the grid and limit exposure to market price volatility. Following these projects, last month, Birmingham Airport was shortlisted for the Energy Transition Impact Award at the Midlands Sustainability Excellence Awards 2025 in recognition of their extensive solar power projects.  
 
Commenting on the milestone Simon Richards, Chief Financial and Sustainability Officer of Birmingham Airport said: “The recent spring sunshine has yielded significant benefits for solar power generation at Birmingham Airport, and we’re delighted to be sustainably generating 100% of our peak daytime power requirements with solar energy.  
 
“Since switching on our £10 million Alpha Bund solar array last year, we have saved over 500 tonnes of carbon from being emitted – a significant reduction in our overall environmental impact. With a relentless focus on improving our sustainability credentials, we remain on track to becoming a net zero carbon airport by 2033 and this latest achievement is testament to our ongoing efforts to actively reduce our emissions.”