Vienna Airport expands its renewable energy facilities

C: Vienna Airport

Vienna Airport has announced it will build three new additional photovoltaic facilities and install 2,500 solar modules.

The photovoltaic facilities will have an output of 2,700kWp and will be built on the roofs of Office Park 4, Park Garages 3 and 8 by the end of 2020.

Vienna Airport already produces approximately two million kilowatt hours of electricity annually thanks to the four photovoltaic plants in operation. In the future, it will double its own yearly electricity generation to more than three million kilowatt hours.

The additional 2,500 solar modules will be installed on the roofs of Park Garages 3 and 8, increasing the panel surface area to 16,000m² – approximately the size of three soccer fields. The expansion of solar energy should help Vienna Airport to reduce its CO₂ emissions by about 1,800 tonnes per year.

“We have already cut CO₂ emissions by 70 per cent and energy consumption by 40 per cent since 2011. This is good, but not enough. We have a clearly defined objective to become one of the very first large CO₂ neutral airports before 2030,” explained Günther Ofner, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG. “Our own electricity production will play a major role in these efforts. For this reason, we are expanding the number of photovoltaic plants from four to seven next year.”

The expansion of photovoltaic facilities is one of many measures being implemented by Vienna Airport with the environment in mind. The current fleet of 380 electric-powered vehicles is being expanded on an ongoing basis and the airport is soon to acquire 40 e-powered passenger buses. New buildings are being designed and constructed sustainably, as well as energy optimisation of existing buildings by means of self-developed smart city control software. Furthermore, business trips taken by airport employees are being compensated by the purchase of CO₂ certificates.