Proposed massive solar farm at Edmonton’s airport could power over 27,000 homes

Edmonton International Airport has announced the largest airport-based solar farm in the world will be built on its lands.

Airport City Solar will be developed by Alpin Sun, a European company that focuses on renewable energy. When complete, the 120-megawatt solar farm will stretch over 627-acres, equivalent to about 313 CFL football fields.

“We want to add to Alberta’s recovery momentum and be in a position by 2022 to not only support existing industries and communities in the area but also serve as a catalyst for new investment in advanced technology and logistics,” Fred Null, Alpin Sun’s director of project development, said.

The agreement between EIA and Alpin Sun will bring in an estimated $169 million in investment to the Edmonton area. Construction will begin in 2022 and be operational by the end of that year, according to a news release from the airport. While the project is being built, it will employ 120 workers for a year, and up to 250 during the project’s peak.

“The project, when combined with other recent exciting investments in renewables, shows that Alberta is the most attractive place in Canada to invest, not just in renewable energy, but across all sectors of the economy,” said Tanya Fir, Alberta’s minister of economic development, trade and tourism.

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Around 340,000 solar panels will be installed, generating approximately 200,000 MWh per year, or enough to power between 27,000 and 28,000 homes.

The power will feed into FortisAlberta, an electricity distribution utility that supplies power to numerous companies in the province, as well as the airport electrical distribution systems.

“One of our core principles is being dedicated to sustainability,” Tom Ruth, EIA’s president and CEO, said.

“We’re creating something the whole world will notice. We’re Canada’s largest airport by land size so we have the space to do something very special – the largest solar farm at an airport in the world.”

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The Alpin Sun team will seek approval for the project from local, provincial and federal regulatory agencies over the next year.

1:42 Homeowners express concerns over large solar expansion near Brooks, Alta.