New York City’s JFK Airport Terminal One to Feature Largest Airport Solar Array In the US
The JFK New Terminal One microgrid will be the largest rooftop solar array in New York City, and on any airport terminal in the U.S.
Energy as a Service (EaaS) solutions company, AlphaStruxure, announced an agreement to design, construct, and operate integrated microgrid infrastructure at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport New Terminal One (NTO).
NTO will be a 2.4 million square foot, 23-gate, state of the art new international terminal. Valued at $9.5 billion, the first phase of the New Terminal One development is the largest single-asset project financing in U.S. history.
AlphaStruxure was chosen for its solution that met JFK, New York State, New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) diverse and stringent requirements for an off-grid energy solution.
The requirements are to:
- Transform JFK into a fully resilient airport that can function off-grid during power disruptions
- Meet local sustainability laws
- Deliver energy reliability and resilience with guaranteed system-level uptime
- Produce lower carbon intensity, more efficient, locally generated energy
- Stabilize energy costs over the long-term
The microgrid will provide NTO with sustainable, resilient, locally generated, and cost-predictable energy. It will deliver immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions of 38 percent over grid-sourced energy and lead to cleaner air for the surrounding communities.
The electricity generated by the microgrid is enough to power 3,570 average U.S. homes for one year. The project will feature the largest rooftop solar array in New York City, and on any airport terminal in the United States, with all available and viable rooftop areas being used for solar.
AlphaStruxure and JFK will partner to finance, design, build, and operate an on-site microgrid.
The 11.34 megawatt microgrid is comprised of 7.66 MW rooftop solar, 3.68 MW fuel cells, 2 MW/4MWh battery energy storage, and will utilize re-claimed heat to generate chilled water and heating hot water
The AlphaStruxure solution includes four power islands, each an integrated energy system with sources of generation, storage, and automation.
The microgrid will be managed via the AlphaStruxure Integrate digital platform which manages microgrid performance and operations in a cyber-secure environment
The microgrid will be delivered to New Terminal One stakeholders by AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) and Schneider Electric (SU.PA), that designs, builds, owns, operates, and maintains tailored energy infrastructure. As strategic partners for the project, Carlyle is financing the microgrid, while Schneider Electric is delivering leading microgrid technology, software, and services.
“Microgrids solve two of the most serious challenges, resilience and decarbonization, with a single solution,” said Annette Clayton, Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric North America. “The New Terminal One project at JFK shows that Schneider Electric’s microgrid technology is ready to transform our nation’s most critical infrastructure — including one of the busiest airports in the country — into a sustainable airport of the future.”
AlphaStruxure’s microgrid solution is designed to achieve ambitious New York State, City, and PANYNJ’s sustainability mandates, and will contribute towards the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requiring 70 percent of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040.
The aviation industry has a 2050 goal to achieve Net Zero. Airports around the world are planning and implementing a multitude of sustainability solutions into their facilities and operations.
Airlines are investing in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to reduce carbon emissions from airliners. Aircraft manufacturers are also exploring new technologies to achieve sustainable aviation.
Upon project completion, NTO will be the first resilient airport transit hub in the New York region that can function independently of the power grid, to maintain 100 percent of airport operations during power disruptions across the 23 gates and more than 177,000 square feet of dining, retail, lounges, and recreational space.
The first gates at JFK New Terminal One are expected to open in 2026, with full completion anticipated by 2030.
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