Fresno, California is putting the ever-present sun to work with a 2MW solar system at its airport. To get the effort off the ground, the airport teamed with Solar Power Partners -- a company that has completed a range of municipal and private solar projects in California. Xantrex Tech will supply the inverters and Sharp Solar will provide the panels for the solar project, which will provide enough electricity to meet 40% of the airport’s energy needs. The project will cover a total of 9.5 acres of land in panels (7 football fields). Over 20 years, the solar array is predicted to save the airport $13 million.

Airports are ideal places for solar installations because they use as much power as a small city. In other words, they need all the power they can get. Additionally, airports often need to operate in emergencies, and solar can help charge generators, or can supply energy when other parts of the electricity output are non-functional. Airports also boast big, expansive buildings with flat roofs, and plenty of spare asphalt, the structural situation most conducive to building solar arrays. Additionally, airports have a lot of open space around them, making them ideal for solar installations.