In one more effort to make the largest airport in Arizona sustainable, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is receiving $20 million for a solar project.
The funding is coming through the Federal Aviation Administration and is part some $92 million in grants awarded to twenty-one airports nationally.
The Phoenix project will center on the design and building of what are called “solar parking structures.” Such structures are essentially carports comprised of a series of solar panels which not only store energy but provide shade for airport guests.
Located at 3400 E. Sky Harbor Boulevard, the Phoenix airport is one of the busiest facilities of its kind in the country, serving more than 44.3 million travelers annually, according to recent statistics.
Last year the airport gave its approval to a facility-wide sustainability management plan that puts an emphasis on reducing aircraft emissions, carbon reduction, and energy conservation.
To that end, the Phoenix airport has already built solar photovoltaic arrays at its Rental Car Center, East Economy Parking Garages, and Aviation Headquarters Building. Together, those three facilities are generating enough energy to power around 650 homes a year.
Additional initiatives have seen the Phoenix airport installing LED lighting in primary structures and upgrading its vast heating and cooling systems with more energy-efficient technology.
The airport’s sustainability efforts have also been hailed by the Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation Program. To date, the airport has reduced annual carbon emissions by 34% via various energy conservation measures.
The airport net zero-emissions grant is being awarded by the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, tasked with allocating up to $268 million in supplemental discretionary grants between now and the fall of 2024.
In a statement, Shannetta Griffin, associate administrator for airports with the FAA, remarked: “We need to help airports transition their operations as quickly as possible to renewable power.”
Griffin added that the Airport Improvement Program’s grant funding “keeps us on track for the net-zero goal.”
By Garry Boulard
