Private wire solar PV for Belfast Airport

Lightsource Renewable Energy has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Belfast International Airport for the largest solar project to connect to a UK airport. The company will hard-wire a 4.84 MWp off-site solar farm into the airport private network – to provide 27% of the airport’s annual electricity demand.

The project is being funded, installed and operated by Lightsource. Belfast International Airport will buy the electricity produced by the solar farm via a private wire which connects the installation directly to the user without connecting to the national grid. By hard-wiring the solar farm directly into the airport, Lightsource will provide the airport with a source of renewable electricity and reduced energy costs – and a saving of more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon emission each year.

Through its PPA offering, Lightsource says it can finance and develop utility-scale solar and energy storage solutions using land near to site – connecting them directly into the supply of major energy users such as factories, warehouses, data centres etc. A private wire PPA can also help businesses to reduce exposure to energy market volatility and enable load shifting to avoid peak pricing.