Mayo airport to go green with new solar panel farm

IRELAND West Airport Knock has been granted planning permission to construct a renewable energy solar farm which will reduce the airport's future reliance on fossil fuels.

Mayo County Council granted planning permission to Ireland West Airport Knock to develop a new 1.5MVA AC solar photovoltaic farm consisting of 2,566 solar panels which will each have an output of 690W.

The solar panels will cover an area of around 2.25 hectares, on a site approximately 5.03 hectares located west of the Airport Terminal, which also includes a new Solar PV substation, inverters, a new airport sub-station and all associated ancillary development works.

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The planning report produced by Coakley O'Neill Town Planning on behalf of the airport stated that the proposed solar farm will be developed in phases to 'effectively match the evolving energy demands of the airport'.

“Integrating a solar PV farm into the Airport’s infrastructure is a critical step in advancing the airport’s decarbonisation journey and achieving its long-term sustainability goals. The proposed development will ensure diversity and security of electricity supply for the Airport,” the report read.

The proposed 1.5MVA AC solar farm will create a total anticipated output of 1.2MW and the construction phase is expected to take eight months to complete.

The solar farm size has been based on the existing airport electrical demand plus the forecast demand for future works at the airport, including future terminal building upgrades including the future decarbonisation of the facility. The airport hopes to transition from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy heat pumps as well as the introduction of heat recovery ventilations, fabric upgrades and wind breaks.

The planning reports stated that the proposed photovoltaic panels will be selected to maximise energy generation through leading efficiency, enhanced performance in high temperatures, and higher energy conversion in low-light conditions like mornings, evenings and cloudy days.

They shall be engineered to power through all types of weather conditions with crack resistant cells and reinforced connections that protect against fatigue and corrosion, to an electrical architecture that mitigates the impact of shade and prevents hot-spot formation.

A glare and glint impact assessment of the solar panels was also submitted and it was confirmed the proposed development is acceptable with a low impact predicated upon the airport's approach path. Consultation has been undertaken with the safeguarding team at Ireland West Knock Airport with regard to glint and glare intensity towards the Air Traffic Control Tower.

Mayo County Council planners stated that the proposed development is considered acceptable and to be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. Planning permission was granted subject to 15 planning conditions.