NATS powers up Prestwick with solar energy

Image courtesy NATS
 
The array went live on 28th April and has already generated over 128,000 kWh of renewable electricity and expected to deliver around 600,000 kwh annually.

The Prestwick Centre provides vital air traffic control services across Scotland, northern England and out into the North East Atlantic to more than a million aircraft per year and will receive approximately 10% of its total electricity needs from the rooftop solar panels.

Having already reduced electricity use across all NATS sites by 40% since 2006, this marks the first phase of an extensive renewable energy rollout at the Prestwick site. The second phase, a ground-mounted solar array, is currently under construction following planning approval earlier this year. This will add nearly 800 extra panels, projected to generate a further 400,000 kWh of clean electricity per year.
 
NATS has progressively increased its annual procurement of renewable electricity since 2018/9 and together with other emissions reduction targets it has been recognised as one of Europe’s Climate Leaders for five years running by the Financial Times & Statista, topping the list in 2024. This special report names just 600 European companies that have achieved the greatest reduction in their Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions.

Ian Lane, Carbon Manager, NATS, said: “This is a big step forward in our plan to reduce indirect emissions from electricity use which makes up around half of our overall CO2 emissions. The results in the first month alone show the real potential of on-site renewable energy generation.”
 
This was the second large-scale solar installation by NATS.  In July 2024, 2,600 panels were fitted to the roof of its Swanwick air traffic control centre in Hampshire, producing 590,000 kWh of renewable energy so far.  By the end of 2025, installations across roof, ground and adjoining land will take the count to 12,000 panels, generating up to 21% of both centres’ energy.

Ian continued: “While the solar installations are a vital part of our energy transition, we are also focused on improving overall energy efficiency and removing gas from our operations. This is an essential part of our transition to becoming a carbon negative company by 2040.”