The New Terminal One building is set to open in 2026. Credit: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

JFK International Airport in New York, US has begun construction on an array of 13,000 solar panels on the roof of its new Terminal One building as part of the sustainable power grid being developed for the site. 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Terminal One consortium responsible for its construction said the array will cover an area equivalent to six and a half (American) football fields, making it the largest solar array in New York City. 

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Kevin O’Toole, chairman of the port authority, said: “This construction milestone in our redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport represents more than progress at one of our facilities because its success will set an industry example for others. 

“On-site green energy development such as the country’s largest airport solar array will reduce the generation of greenhouse gases that cause climate change at the New Terminal One.” 

Once complete, the array will provide 6.63 megawatts of power to a 12-megawatt microgrid of sustainable energy sources being built to provide power to Terminal One, with other sources including a 3.84 megawatts of fuel cells and 1.5 megawatts of battery energy storage. 

Part of the airport’s ambition to reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2050, the microgrid will generate half the electricity needed for everyday operations at the terminal across four ‘power islands’ built to operate independently of each other. 

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Construction, operation, and maintenance of the microgrid will be carried out by energy-as-a-service provider AlphaStruxure with support from its parent companies Schneider Electric and Carlyle alongside other contractors and engineering firms. 

AlphaStruxure CEO Juan Macias said: “When it comes to energy, airports are facing a perfect storm: More passengers, more electrification, more outages, and more power capacity bumping up against aging energy infrastructure that’s less and less able to keep up. 

“JFK’s New Terminal One is building sustainable energy infrastructure at the speed and scale necessary to stay ahead of these challenges.” 

The $9.5bn New Terminal One project at JFK is one of the biggest airport projects underway in the US and will see a new 2.4 million square foot international terminal open in 2026 to increase capacity at the airport and double the number of gates fit for wide-body aircraft.