The Denver International Airport (DIA) is no stranger to solar projects being the site of a 2MW installation, which was completed in 2008 and a 1.6MW facility constructed earlier this year. However, Constellation Energy and Oak Leaf Energy Partners announced that they will be building the third and, so far, the largest solar installation for the airport at 4.4MW. Constellation is set to finance, own and operate the system, while DIA will be able to buy the energy produced from Constellation over twenty years.
Intermountain Electric, who installed and managed the previous DIA solar projects, will begin construction this fall and are holding to a completion date early next year. Yingli Green Energy will supply over 19,000 PV panels for the solar installation, which are anticipated to produce around 7,000MWh of electricity to the airport.
“Denver International Airport serves as a model of sustainability and Constellation Energy is very pleased to work with Oak Leaf Energy, IME and Yingli Solar to further expand the airport’s commitment to clean, renewable energy,” said Michael Smith, senior vice president of green initiatives for Constellation Energy’s retail business. “Customer-sited solar is a rapidly growing segment of the renewable energy industry as organizations realize the financial and sustainability benefits of systems like this. This agreement is the result of Constellation Energy’s ability to use innovative financing structures to develop projects combining federal, state, city and private corporate funding.”
