Genève Aéroport has taken another step in its energy transition. A new large-scale solar power installation was commissioned on the roof of the new East Wing. Thanks to 6,700 m2 of photovoltaic panels, Genève Aéroport will produce enough electricity to cover the needs of its high-performance terminal.
This large-scale solar power infrastructure was financed and installed by the Services Industriels de Genève (SIG). The East Wing is now the third largest solar roof in Geneva canton.
More than 3’700 solar panels
The East Wing, mainly dedicated to long-haul flights, was officially opened on 14 December 2021. It significantly improves the passenger flow for continental and intercontinental flights, while meeting the most recent standards.
The new solar power infrastructure has been installed on the roof of the building. The photovoltaic panels are laid out over the 520 metre length of the building. The 3,773 modules will produce 1.5 GWh of electricity per year, which will cover the consumption of the 40,000 m2 building.
The East Wing is SIG’s third largest solar roof in the canton, after Palexpo (15,000 m2 ) and the Aïre water treatment plant (7,200 m2 ). It also meets expectations as a model of sustainable management.
Solar panel surface to grow significantly
With the East Wing roof and the 1,500 m2 solar panels on the new baggage sorting centre, the total solar panel surface area will increase from 15,000 m2 to 23,000 m2 by the end of 2022.
“Genève Aéroport will produce 3.8 GWh/year of solar electricity by the end of the year with its 23,500 m2 of photovoltaic panels, or 10% of its annual energy consumption,” explains Patrick Corrand, energy project manager.
Genève Aéroport takes part in the Swiss government’s Energy and Climate Exemplarity initiative and has made commitments in this context up to 2030:
-achieve 25% energy savings
-increase the share of renewable energy to 70% by 2030
With this in mind, the airport signed a partnership agreement in 2017 with SIG to achieve a total surface area of 55,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels by 2030. Genève Aéroport is well on its way to achieving its objectives and is looking for additional surfaces such as the Grand Hangar and the Freight Hall to install more photovoltaic panels on its premises.
