Solar panels installed at Schiphol
Exploring the possibilities of generating green energy with solar panels
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and technical services provider Imtech have installed a total of 3,000 m2 of solar panels at Schiphol-Northwest. The solar panels have been installed as part of a trial to determine whether the generation of large-scale cost-effective solar energy has a future at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
theGROUNDS: innovations for a sustainable airport
The pilot with the solar panels was developed by theGROUNDS, a Schiphol initiative that brings together leading companies and knowledge institutions to develop innovative applications for a sustainable airport. theGROUNDS combines new technologies with inventive business models. The solar panel field, including all associated technical solutions, was constructed by Imtech.
Schiphol: climate neutral by late 2012
The installation of solar panels ties in with initiatives aimed at developing a responsible, economic and efficient energy management programme. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol aims to make its own activities climate neutral by the end of 2012 and to generate 20 per cent of its own energy sustainably by 2020. As part of this drive, solar panels were installed earlier on the roofs of the Transport office buildings, the Schiphol Group headquarters and Cargo Building 19. In addition to energy generation, Schiphol is working hard to reduce its energy consumption wherever possible. For example, a portion of the airport’s parking facilities and the terminal building are now illuminated using LED lighting and the airport has been using thermal storage for some years now.
Imtech: towards green airports
Technical services provider Imtech is a European market leader in airport technology. Thirty per cent of Imtech’s turnover (2011: 5.1 billion Euro) is generated by green technology and technical sustainability solutions, such as solar energy, energy conservation solutions, thermal energy, biogas and energy from waste. Working closely with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Imtech recently developed an innovative concept for the green airport of the future.
The newly installed solar panels will yield 440,000 kWh of green energy each year, which is the amount of electricity 120 households consume on average on an annual basis.