Denver International Airport Expands Solar Generation to Become Largest in U.S.

DIA hopes to continue its green initiatives and cost savings with the project. "We support alternative energy applications at DIA because these projects are good for the environment while positively impacting our bottom line; they are financially sustainable,” said Kim Day, aviation manager at DIA, in a press release. “This airport was built with a goal of being green, and with this additional solar array, Denver International Airport now has one of the largest solar installations in North America."

Constellation Energy built, owns and maintains the solar PV system for this project. And the DIA signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the utility to buy the electricity produced. The airport expects to receive approximately 7,000 megawatt-hours annually from 19,000 Yingli solar photovoltaic panels.

This is the third solar project for the DIA, the first two being 2-MW and 1.4-MW installations that were built and managed by Quanta Services Intermountain Electric. In total, the DIA installations cover 45 acres of farmland near the airport.