Solar panels to provide 20% of BHX’s electricity

Birmingham Airport says at least 20% of its on-site electrical power will be provided by solar panels by next May.

Between September and May, the airport plans to install 12,804 photovoltaic panels on a 1.5km-long, six-metre-high, noise-blocking embankment, known as the ‘Alpha Bund’ which flanks the northeastern edge of the runway, beside the West Coast mainline railway.

It forms part of plans to propel BHX’s goal of becoming a net zero-carbon airport by 2033 as well as reducing its reliance on the power grid and its exposure to market price volatility.

Simon Richards, chief finance and sustainability officer at BHX, 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.”

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has confirmed the work constitutes permitted development and so does not require planning permission.