BIRMINGHAM Airport is set to install thousands of solar panels to help it reach its net zero target by 2033.
A total of 12,804 photovoltaic panels will be put into place on the ‘Alpha Bund’ – a 1.5km-long, six metre-high, noise-blocking embankment which flanks the northeastern edge of the runway, beside the West Coast main line railway.
Airport bosses say the panels – which are set to be put into place between September and next May – will provide around a fifth of on-site electrical power.
Simon Richards, chief finance and sustainability officer at the airport, said: “Installing our own green energy sources on our airfield is one of many things we are doing to reduce our carbon footprint and become a net zero operation by 2033.
“In the next decade we will see many transformational steps forward in the aviation sector, including the game-changing prospect of hydrogen-powered, zero-emission passenger flights. With the impacts of climate change all too real, steps like this represent us doing our bit to help protect our planet’s future for generations to come.”
To keep its neighbours informed about the upcoming work, airport representatives dropped postcards with details about the project through the letterboxes of properties along Elmdon Lane and its adjoining roads.
The airport says Solihull Council has confirmed the work constitutes permitted development and so does not require planning permission.
