Commissioning of the 3rd largest solar roof in the canton
Genève Aéroport is taking another step in its energy transition. A new large-scale solar installation was commissioned on 13 October on the roof of the East Wing. 6,700 m2 of photovoltaic panels will produce electricity to cover the consumption of this high-performance terminal. This large-scale installation, financed and operated by SIG, makes the East Wing the third largest solar roof in the canton of Geneva.
More than 3'700 solar panels
The East Wing building, mainly dedicated to long-haul flights, was officially opened on 14 December 2021. It significantly improves the reception of passengers on continental and intercontinental flights, while meeting current standards.
A new solar system has been installed on the roof of the building. 6,700 m2 of photovoltaic panels are spread over the 520 metre length of the building. The 3,773 modules will produce 1.5 GWh of electricity per year, which will cover the building's consumption of more than 40,000 m2.
This installation makes the East Wing the third largest solar roof in the canton of Geneva installed by SIG, behind Palexpo (15,000 m2 ) and the Aïre water treatment plant (7,200 m2 ). It also completes the energy exemplarity expected of this building designed to be a sustainable model.
Solar panel area up significantly
By 2021, the airport will have 15,000 m2 of solar panels. Thanks to the East Wing and the installation of 1,500 m2 of panels on the new baggage sorting centre, this surface area will increase significantly by the end of 2022.
"Genève Aéroport will produce 3.8 GWh/year of solar electricity by the end of the year with its 23,500 m2 of photovoltaic panels, or 10% of its annual energy consumption," explains Patrick Corrand, energy project manager.
Genève Aéroport participates in the Swiss government's Energy and Climate Exemplarity initiative and has made commitments in this context up to 2030:
-achieve 25% energy savings
-increase the share of renewable energy to 70% by 2020
With this in mind, the airport signed a partnership agreement in 2017 with the Services Industriels de Genève (SIG) which aims to achieve a total surface area of 55,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels by 2030. Genève Aéroport is well on its way to achieving its objectives and is looking for new surfaces eligible for solar installations on the platform. The roofs of the Grand Hangar and the Freight Hall are being studied.