Düsseldorf Airport commissions record-breaking solar park

Germany’s largest open-space photovoltaic (PV) system at an airport began operating at Düsseldorf Airport at the end of June. Spanning approximately 140,000 square meters adjacent to the runway, the solar park boasts an installed capacity of 16 megawatts. It produces enough green electricity to cover 16 percent of the airport’s annual energy consumption. This results in annual CO₂ savings of 3,650 metric tons. Additionally, the solar park is supplemented by energy storage systems with a capacity of up to 25 megawatt-hours.

"This new ground-mounted PV system shows that high-traffic infrastructure sites can actively contribute to the energy transition. Exemplary projects like this one make this possible and strengthen our energy security,” says Mona Neubaur, the NRW Minister of Economic Affairs. ZPV Solarkraftwerke, a specialist in the planning, construction, and operation of large-scale PV systems, is supporting the airport in the construction and operation of the plant.

The PV plant is part of Düsseldorf Airport’s strategy to modernize its infrastructure. By 2045, the airport aims to become one of Europe’s leading airports, focusing on quality of passenger experience, operational efficiency and sustainability. As part of this effort, plans are in place to develop infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuels that do not rely on fossil fuels. To this end, the airport will build a massive storage facility for these fuels.