Birmingham Airport goes '100% solar powered' during sunny spells this month
Bosses at Birmingham Airport say a £10m investment in solar panels is paying dividends - after recent sunny weather saw the site fully powered by renewable energy at times during April.
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The airport installed over 12,000 panels in a solar farm last year, in addition to an existing solar array on a terminal roof installed in 2012, and a newer 90 kWh scheme placed on the roof of the north terminal.
Sustainability chiefs at the airport say that in recent weeks, the 6.8-megawatt solar farm has been powering 100% of the organisation’s required energy usage during some parts of the day, exceeding pre-set targets and helping eliminate carbon emissions.
“The recent spring sunshine has yielded significant benefits for solar power generation at Birmingham Airport, and we’re delighted to be sustainably generating 100% of our peak daytime power requirements with solar energy," said Simon Richards, Chief Financial and Sustainability Officer of Birmingham Airport.
“Since switching on our £10 million Alpha Bund solar array last year, we have saved over 500 tonnes of carbon from being emitted – a significant reduction in our overall environmental impact. With a relentless focus on improving our sustainability credentials, we remain on track to becoming a net zero carbon airport by 2033 and this latest achievement is testament to our ongoing efforts to actively reduce our emissions.”
Last month, Birmingham Airport was shortlisted for the Energy Transition Impact Award at the Midlands Sustainability Excellence Awards 2025, and the site was recently named among the best airports in the UK for recycling rates.
Earlier this year, the airport also outlined how a planned high-speed rail link could make it faster for passengers to reach London from Birmingham than Heathrow.
