Image: Darwin International Airport has an existing 6MW solar site which will be added to.
Move over, South Australia! The Northern Territory is taking on large-scale battery storage. Three airport facilities across the Territory will benefit from this, and three new solar farms are being constructed on-site.
These projects are part of a $300-million expansion of the airports in Darwin, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.
Among upgrade activities, Darwin International Airport (DIA) will add a 40MW solar farm. Alice Springs airport will also add a 10MW array and an undisclosed size will be added at the Tennant Creek site.
This project will also include the construction of an off-site, multi-user battery that will be located 80km from Darwin.
This isn’t the first time solar has been used at DIA. These Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF)-backed solar farms will be in addition to a 6MW solar system that was previously installed on the site in Darwin; and to the 800kW of solar PV already installed at the Alice Springs airport.
This exciting project will bring the NT airports up to speed with the rest of Australia’s airports. The majority of these airports are already meeting their electricity demand with either on-site solar or substantial renewable energy power purchase agreements.
And aside from this investment providing a renewable and clean energy resource to run these airports, it will also increase economic opportunities in the community. In fact, it is expected that these three projects alone will create over 1,000 jobs in the community.
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