ROOFTOP solar panels are to be installed at Jersey Airport which could power around 70 homes.
Jersey Electricity and Ports of Jersey have signed a 25-year lease for the “major” solar array, which will cover 3,200sqm on top of the Airport’s cargo terminal – it will be the third largest of JE’s rooftop arrays.
The solar installation will feed directly into the grid, and could power the “equivalent of nearly 70 homes” over the next 25 years, according to JE.
Work on the project is expected to start in the spring.
Once completed, the total electricity generated from JE’s commercial rooftop solar facilities will grow to “the equivalent of more than 300 homes”.
Electric vehicle chargers will also be installed by Ports and its business partners.
Jersey Electricity’s chief executive, Chris Ambler, said: “Jersey Electricity and Ports of Jersey both have important roles in proactively helping the Island to achieve its long-term sustainability goals.”
Mr Ambler said JE was “committed” to the Island’s “net-zero journey” by facilitating more renewables in the Island, and explained that these projects helped build “energy independence”.
He added: “The development of rooftop solar in Jersey remains a cornerstone of JE’s solar strategy, which promises to socialise local renewable energy for the benefit of the whole community.
“Combined with selected ground-mount solar projects, we expect to see a meaningful increase in locally generated renewable energy to the grid in 2025, supporting our ambition to power 5,000 homes through locally harnessed solar power by 2030, for at least the next 25 years.”
Ports of Jersey chief executive Matt Thomas said he was “delighted” to go into partnership with JE on this project to provide renewable energy to the Island.
Mr Thomas added: “This project is a key initiative to deliver the targets set out in our Planet and People Plan, where we have committed to become one of the first UK airports to reach net zero in our operations.”
