Birmingham Airport has revealed that it is currently generating 100 per cent of peak daytime power requirements with solar energy.
In 2024, the Midlands aviation hub invested nearly £10m in a solar farm, featuring over 12,000 panels.
It went on to create a further solar installation of 90kWh light-weight solar film on the roof of the North Terminal to maximise solar energy generation.
Composed of photoactive material, the thin film helps to improve energy efficiency in the terminal by reflecting light and subsequently reducing heat.
Birmingham Airport began its solar energy journey back in 2012 when it first installed panels on the terminal roof.
The move towards more sustainable energy sources is aimed at reducing its reliance on the grid and limiting its exposure to market price volatility.
Chief finance and sustainability officer Simon Richards said the panels formed part of the airport's plan to hit net-zero carbon by 2033.
“Since switching on our solar array last year, we have saved 1,070 tonnes of carbon from being emitted and have sustainably powered 100 per cent of our required energy during peak conditions on 50 days – a significant reduction in our overall environmental impact,” he said.
“Improving our sustainability credentials, we remain committed to becoming a net zero carbon airport by 2033 and this latest achievement is testament to our ongoing efforts to actively reduce our environmental impacts.”
Speaking to the BBC in June, he noted: “We're an industry that's quite carbon intensive and there's a lot of work going on with airlines to reduce carbon from flying.
“The installation produces around six gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power a year – that's enough to power more than 2,000 homes.”
In January this year, Stansted Airport announced it would be the first London airport to install a solar power farm.
The new development forms part of a £1.1 billion investment to improve and expand the Essex hub.
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