THE CHALLENGE

Most airports have a lot of lightweight metal topped buildings, such as hangars or storage facilities. This means that, akin to 40% of commercial buildings in the UK, they are not able to sustain the weight of traditional solar panels without the need for complex and costly structural reinforcement.

Also, most airport hangars are built with specific dimensions to accommodate aircraft of various sizes. This often means that the roof tops, while large, may not always be oriented or angled optimally for solar panels.

Such was the case for Farnborough Airport. Located in Farnborough, Hampshire, Farnborough Airport is Europe’s leading airport for premium travel connectivity, serving over 800 international direct connections. It is often referred to as ‘the theatre for aviation’ thanks to its cutting-edge approach to architecture and design, including its iconic main terminal building which features a sweeping, curved roof carefully curated to resemble an aircraft wing.

Equally reputed for its progressive sustainability stance, in 2018 Farnborough Airport became the first business aviation airport to be awarded carbon neutral status by Airports Council International Europe in recognition of its commitment to minimising environmental impact and continually improving environmental performance. In its ongoing efforts to be a sustainability showcase for other airports around the world, it has a clear strategy in place to reach net zero by 2030, well ahead of the industry standard.

As part of this, Farnborough Airport sought to reduce electricity usage by taking advantage of the environmental and economic benefits associated with solar.

However, the path to self-generation proved less than straightforward. Foremost, weight-issues aside, it was clear that Farnborough Airport’s aerodynamic architecture, with its iconic wave-shaped hangarage and sweeping, curved terminal, was not conducive to fitting traditional solar. It was also already understood that the installation of ground-mounted solar at scale was not possible due to operational and environmental restrictions on land-use.

Place it altogether and it became clear that rooftop solar was the only suitable pathway to clean self-generation, but the airport needed a more dynamic and agile alternative to traditional rigid solar panels.

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THE SOLUTION

Fortunately, Solivus had the answer. Purposefully-built to support the untapped commercial solar opportunity, Solivus’ groundbreaking lightweight solar solution has enabled Farnborough Airport to unlock the vast solar generation capabilities of its roof space.

Offering a competitive performance without the bulk, Solivus’ lightweight solar solution provides a practical, efficient, and cost-effective option for commercial rooftops, allowing large premises with lightweight rooftops to harness solar energy while minimising structural concerns and installation complexities.

Further benefits include unrivalled flexibility. Thanks to its incredibly thin design, Solivus’ solar system can be more easily integrated into a variety of rooftops and surfaces, including non-traditional settings such as the flowing, aerodynamic form found at Farnborough Airport. The associated reduced weight also means an easier install and simpler mounting system, significantly reducing the labour requirements and associated disruption for the UK’s largest private jet airport.

Importantly too, unlike the rigid, often bulky form of standard solar panels, Solivus’ solution has been designed to be less obvious, ensuring a seamless and visually appealing integration with Farnborough Airport’s iconic architectural design.

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THE OUTCOME

The recently completed project is indicative of the immense opportunity afforded the aviation sector in terms of the ability to leverage its real estate as a power generator in order to significantly reduce electricity costs and, in turn, emissions and overall carbon footprint.

The installation, which commenced works in January 2024, has seen over 4,000 lightweight solar panels installed on hangars one and two, the terminal, the control tower, and the Aviator hotel across Farnborough Airport.

Constituting one of the largest rooftop solar installations in the region, the works will enable over 20% of the airport’s annual electricity needs to be met, as well as enabling its growing operational fleet of electric vehicles to be charged using self-generated electricity. With only approximately 75% of solar energy generated to be used on site, the remaining 25% will be sold back to the energy supplier, thus making the financial case for solar even more attractive.

In total, the lightweight commercial solar installation will deliver over 1,700 kWp of installed capacity annually, generating over 1.2 GWh of clean energy every year while taking Farnborough Airport a major leap forward in its bold target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. In total the PV installation is expected to generate over36 GWh of energy in its lifetime and offset more than 5,000 tonnes of CO2e in that time.

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Importantly, the project, which was planned, delivered and executed as a complete solution by Solivus, was meticulously phased to minimise disruption for the busy airport.

Safety was accounted for too. Working closely with the National Air Traffic Services, Solivus’ design was purposefully constructed to minimise any glint and glare. This included a comprehensive feasibility study, testing factors such as generation potential and shading to determine the optimal placement of panels.

 Farnborough Airport’s ambitions for renewables are expressed by the Group’s CEO, Simon Geere: “In our efforts to be a sustainability showcase for airports around the 2world, we are always looking for new ways to supply and create sustainable energy sources – the new solar installation will enable us to reduce our controllable emissions as set out in our Net Zero Roadmap, in which we have committed to be Net Zero by 2030 or sooner.”

Interestingly, the solar installation aligns with a recent government bill, which encourages the extensive deployment of rooftop solar on domestic industrial and commercial property to make effective use of available surfaces as a priority.

Solivus CEO, JoParker-Swift says: “Rooftop solar is crucial for decarbonising the built environment, but its application has often been constrained by the structural limitations of many commercial buildings. Put simply, traditional solar panels are too heavy for many rooftops. Our lightweight solar innovation addresses this issue, enabling large-scale, cost-effective solar deployment across nearly all large commercial buildings and sites.

“We are proud to have worked with Farnborough Airport to ensure the future supply of renewable energy, supporting the airport’s progressive net zero emissions journey. We encourage other airports to seize the opportunity to benefit from our solar energy installations and advance their own sustainability initiatives.”

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Presently, over a million UK homes benefit from rooftop solar panels, delivering dependable energy and significantly reducing energy bills. As part of an ongoing focus on reducing costs and dismantling barriers to fully harness the potential of solar power, the government-backed Solar Taskforce has asserted that there is a huge untapped potential in commercial buildings. Airports, with their extensive roof areas, would contribute a significant portion of this potential.

Notes

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/untapped-potential-of-commercial-buildings-could-revolutionise-uk-solar-power#:~:text=Schools%2C%20warehouses%20and%20car%20parks,the%20government's%20new%20Solar%20Taskforce.

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