New Solar Array at Denver International Airport to be Largest On-Site Solar Installation in Colorado

Did you know that the Denver International Airport (DIA) has been the busiest that it’s been in its 15-year history? According to The Denver Post and Denver Business Journal, approximately 4,924,060 travelers landed or took off from the airport this August, compared to 4,877,212 in August 2009, indicating a rise of 1 percent.

What’s even more encouraging is that as the amount of passengers continues to rise, so does the airport’s notoriety as being one of the nation’s greenest airports. My colleagues and I are thrilled to work with Oak Leaf Energy, InterMountain Electric and Yingli Solar to construct a new 4.4 megawatt (MW) solar installation at the DIA, which is expected to be the largest customer-sited solar photovoltaic installation in Colorado.

This project is the third solar array to be constructed at DIA – in 2008 the airport commissioned a 2MW installation and earlier this year the airport commissioned a 1.6 MW facility. Construction begins soon with expected completion by early 2011. The system is expected to supply approximately 7,000 megawatt-hours of electricity to DIA each year, utilizing approximately 19,000 Yingli Solar photovoltaic panels. The electricity that will be generated by the new solar system is equivalent to the release of more than 5,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions if the same amount of electricity was produced by non-renewable sources.

We were able to provide the DIA with innovative financing structures combining federal, state, city, and private corporate funding to develop the project. Constellation Energy will finance, own, and operate the solar installation and the DIA will purchase the electricity produced by the solar system from us over a 20-year period.

Customer-sited solar projects like this one make up the rapidly growing segment of the renewable energy industry. To find out whether you are qualified for a solar project and to learn more about the vast opportunities and incentives available to power your business, contact Constellation Energy at sustainable-solutions@constellation.com or call 1-877-427-2005.