- It has 215,000 photovoltaic modules.
- It will have the capacity to generate energy equivalent to the consumption of more than 100,000 homes.
- The complete development of the park will allow the Airport to generate energy equivalent to 100% of its electricity consumption needs through renewable energy generation.
The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, and the Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, visited today at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport the largest photovoltaic park in Europe in an airport, with capacity to generate energy equivalent to the consumption of more than 100,000 homes and an extension equivalent to 200 football fields.
This facility is part of Aena’s Photovoltaic Plan that is integrated into the airport company’s 2021-2030 Climate Action strategy, which is valued at more than 750 million euros. Specifically, the Photovoltaic Plan consists of the installation of photovoltaic plates on land that is located within the airport complex.
Accompanied by the president and CEO of Aena, Maurici Lucena, and other directors of the company, Puente and Aagesen have known the plant of 120 MWn of nominal power, already in operation, which allows an annual energy production of 242.9 GWh, equivalent to the average consumption of 74,000 homes per year. This is the main of the three plants that make up the park and has a nominal power of 120 MWn.
Minister Puente recalled that air transport accounts for approximately 2 to 3% of global carbon emissions and has described these facilities as “a pride for the whole of Spanish society since we are facing the largest solar plant installed in a European airport. The photovoltaic plant at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is a tangible example of the airport sector’s commitment to the energy transition and decarbonization of its operations, contributing directly to the generation of renewable energy, the reduction of emissions and the move towards a more resilient and sustainable mobility model.”
For her part, Vice-President Aagesen pointed out that “in an energy context such as the current one, determined by geopolitical reality, advancing strategic autonomy in energy is decisive”, since “one of the most relevant vulnerabilities of our economy is the addiction to fossil fuels”. “This facility, the largest in an airport, is a great example of the way to achieve that autonomy,” he said.
“Spain is advancing in this goal. We must remember an extraordinary figure: the increase of more than 1,000% in installed photovoltaic power since 2018 is a fact to celebrate and that should encourage us to continue deepening this energy transformation, in which Spain is a reference country”, added the vice-president.
The new facility is distributed in different plots of the airport complex, and incorporates around 215,000 photovoltaic modules.
Its annual production will reach 242.9 GWh, an amount of energy equivalent to the average consumption of approximately 74,000 homes/year, contributing significantly to reducing dependency on conventional energy sources and promoting a more sustainable energy model.
The complete development of the park will generate energy equivalent to 100% of the Airport’s electricity consumption, reinforcing Aena’s commitment to sustainability and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
The president and CEO of Aena, Maurici Lucena, recalled that "in a context in which companies, administrations and society demand an increasingly ambitious and effective climate action, Aena has developed a Sustainability Strategy with an estimated investment of 750 million euros, within which the Climate Action Plan (CAP), published in 2021, constitutes one of its main instruments".
Three photovoltaic plants
The 120 MWn Solar Photovoltaic Plant is the main element of the Airport’s photovoltaic park, which is also made up of a second 7.5 MWn self-consumption plant, which is currently in operation, and a third 45 MWn facility, with the project in the drafting phase.
The 7.5 MWn self-consumption plant, which is in an advanced phase of implementation, covers an area of 22 hectares and will provide clean energy destined entirely for the consumption of the airport, without surpluses to the distribution network. Its annual production may reach 11.8 GWh, equivalent to 16% of the annual consumption of terminals T1, T2 and T3 or the average consumption of 3,600 homes/year, also avoiding the emission of 2,575 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere.
For its part, the future third plant will have a nominal power of 45 MWn. It will have an estimated production of 79.2 GWh per year and an area of 41 hectares.
The location of the different plants has been defined taking into account the availability of land within the airport, the environmental criteria of the location and the high potential of solar use offered by the geographical location of the airport, complying at all times with all safety requirements.
Together, the three facilities will form one of the most powerful renewable energy production systems in the airport sector worldwide, with capacity to generate energy equivalent to the consumption of more than 100,000 homes.
Aena’s Climate Action Plan 2021-2030
Lucena has listed the main objectives of the Aena Climate Action Plan (CAP):
• In 2025, Aena already achieved a 74.4% reduction in its own emissions compared to 2019.
• Achieve carbon neutrality this same year 2026, moving forward on our path of reducing emissions and compensating for non-reduced ones.
• In 2030 we will reach the goal of being Net Zero Carbon (net zero emissions) by 2030, advancing the global commitment of the sector by 20 years, thus strengthening our leadership and its sectoral credibility.
The development of the photovoltaic park at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is part of this Aena Photovoltaic Plan, one of the strategic projects included in the Climate Action Plan 2021-2030.
Currently, Aena has photovoltaic installations in 12 airports in its network: Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, La Palma, Madrid-Cuatro Vientos, Menorca, Valencia and Vigo. These facilities are located on roofs and parking decks, while at the airports César Manrique-Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Tenerife South they are implanted on the ground.
In addition, Aena continues to make progress in the deployment of new photovoltaic facilities. The solar plant of Sevilla Airport is currently in the process of bidding, while the projects of Malaga-Costa del Sol, La Gomera, Valencia and Zaragoza have already been awarded. For its part, the plants of Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat and Reus are in the execution phase.
Access the graphic material of the visit here.