The Rome airport of Fiumicino has found an innovative way to utilize the vacant land next to the runways: covering it with 2.5 km of solar panels. It is the largest airport solar park in Europe.
The electricity generated by the panels will be used at the airport and will reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
Italy and the zero emissions goal for 2030
The new installation of the airport solar park will help Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino to achieve its ‘net zero’ goal (meaning, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to be as close to zero as possible) by 2030, much earlier than most other airports.
Passengers flying to Rome, which receives 50 million passengers per year, will be able to see from a bird’s eye view the 55,000 solar panels. They are installed along the east side of runway three. The photovoltaic installation will reduce the CO2 emissions of the airport by over 11,000 tons per year, equivalent to the energy consumption of 1,477 homes for a year.
This is just the beginning of Rome airport’s plans for solar energy. They plan to install more panels in the next five years, with the hope of generating enough energy to supply 30,000 Italian households.
Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security, stated to ‘Euronews Travel’ during the project presentation: “The project shows that it is possible to achieve the zero emissions goal and that decarbonization is not achieved through sacrifices, but by modernizing and becoming more carbon-neutral”.
According to an Italian ministerial decree, it is expected that other unused lands can be allocated for renewable energies. “The law includes all those areas, such as abandoned quarries or areas between highways and train tracks,” the minister said. “There are many lands in Italy that cannot be used for agriculture and that, instead, can be allocated for these types of projects”.
Environmental impact and the future of airports
Yes, a lot of energy is needed to operate an airport, so many have goals to reduce their carbon emissions. By using airport lands to generate renewable energy, airports can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and contribute to the ecological transition.
Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), explained to ‘Euronews Travel’ how the new solar park will help the airport become a net zero airport:
“These solutions, such as the use of renewable energies, mainly photovoltaic systems, along with electric vehicles for airport transportation, are part of the green transition. This is just the first step of a process that will lead the airport to achieve net zero emissions in the next four or five years”.
The Italian environmental NGO Legambiente welcomed the new solar park, expressing hope that both the airport and Italy can become a model for the growth of the green economy worldwide.
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