The photovoltaics at the airport, not installed on the roof?

Can you imagine? The Nuremberg Airport in Germany is planning to build a super cool PV facility! The airport's fences, made of modules, will rise along a 1.7 km long and 60 m wide area, with a maximum output power of 13.4MW The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony was held last Friday.

The photovoltaic perimeter fence facility is operated by Greenovative, the company responsible for the airport's energy supply. It is a turn developer, EPC and independent power producer that secured 8% of the tender volume in the July open field project tender. The airport photovoltaic perimeter fence is expected to generate 13.4 GWh of electricity per year, which will be fed directly into the airport's grid, providing clean and sustainable energy the airport's operations. In addition, in order to make maximum use of the power generated, battery storage and heat pump systems are planned to be built.

Extensive coordination work was carried out prior to implementation, with significant efforts from the participating parties such as German air traffic control, the Bav aviation authority, and the environmental agency of the city of Nuremberg. The PV panels are arranged in an east-west orientation, a design choice that is only aesthetically pleasing but also prolongs power generation during the day. Additionally, it prevents pilots from being dazzled by intense light during landing, achieving three at once. The facility will use approximately 23,000 PV panels and 93 kilometers of cable, and it will require 38 tons of steel to support the structure. Currently, there are already two PV systems in operation at Nuremberg Airport. One has been installed on the hang since 2017, and the other on the parking garage since 2022. The new facility is planned to be completed by June 2025.