Outgoing minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen recently installed the first solar panel for the Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA) solar park. This solar park will be realized in the coming months along the runway of the airport. With an area of 7,7 ha and more than 37.000 solar panels, the solar park at Rotterdam The Hague Airport is one of the largest solar parks in the Southwest Netherlands region. The park will soon provide approximately 14 gigawatt hours of green energy. That is comparable to the annual energy consumption of about 5100 households. The construction of the solar park has officially started today with the aim of being operational this autumn. It concerns a collaboration between Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Unisun Energy from Rotterdam, the Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport (RHIA) foundation and energy supplier Eneco. The start of construction is an important milestone as the most sustainable airport.
The solar park
With an area of 7,7ha, the solar park will be one of the largest in the southwest region of the Netherlands. Unique is the construction of the park at an appropriate distance parallel to the runway. For RTHA, the solar park will soon produce approximately three times more electricity than the airport uses annually. The airport will therefore be fully supplied with locally generated green energy in one fell swoop. At the same time, the solar energy becomes available for other innovation and sustainability projects and for companies or private individuals in the area. The goal is to be operational this fall.
“The construction of the solar park and the use of a smart energy system are responding to the transition that airports have to go through at a brisk pace. A solar park of this size on the airport site is a catalyst for sustainability in the aviation sector, and a prelude to a smart energy system.”
Smart energy system
In order to make optimum use of solar energy at the airport, the partners of the Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport (RHIA) foundation are working on realizing a smart energy system for the storage and regulation of energy flows, or a Smart Energy System (SES) for sun and Warmth. The SES ensures a reliable, safe and sustainable energy supply based on locally sourced sustainable energy. The RHIA Foundation was founded by Rotterdam The Hague Airport, together with the Municipality of Rotterdam, to stimulate innovation in aviation.
“This not only means that we purchase our own consumption completely green in one fell swoop, but also that green energy becomes available for other innovations, sustainability projects or the environment. This is completely in line with our strategy and sustainability ambition, which is why the Rotterdam The Hague Airport solar park fits very well here. In this way we contribute to the energy transition in the Netherlands by making our land available for the generation of renewable energy. We are proactively committed to sustainability and want to carry out our land-based activities emission-free by 2030.”
Awarded with accreditation 'most sustainable airport in the world'
The sustainability of RTHA airport and the cooperation in RHIA context have not gone unnoticed. For example, on 1 July 2021, the airport was accredited with the highest level (Level 4+) of the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) sustainability certificate. Airport Carbon Accreditation is the only institutionally approved global carbon management certification program for airports to monitor and reduce the footprint. Only four airports in the world have preceded RTHA in reaching Level 2+. RTHA is the first airport in the Netherlands and the second in Europe to have reached the highest level.
Partnerships
Various partners work closely together for the development, financing, construction and power supply of the solar park. In the partnership, Blue Sky Energy I, part of Unisun Energy, will build the solar park. Uper Energy Europe from Rotterdam will carry out the management and maintenance for the next 30 years. Blue Sky Energy I supplies the sustainable electricity generated at RTHA to energy supplier Eneco, a partner of the Royal Schiphol Group, of which RTHA is also a part. RTHA purchases green energy from Eneco through Guarantees of Origin (GOs). The construction of the solar park is possible thanks to a subsidy from the National Government Stimulation of Sustainable Energy Production and Climate Transition (SDE+). Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
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