AlphaStruxure to build country’s largest airport terminal rooftop solar array

AlphaStruxure announced an agreement to design, construct and operate integrated microgrid infrastructure at the New Terminal One (NTO) at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The microgrid will provide NTO with sustainable, resilient, locally generated and cost-predictable energy. The electricity generated by the microgrid is enough to power 3,570 average U.S. homes for one year. The project will feature the largest rooftop solar array in New York City, and on any airport terminal in the United States, with all available and viable rooftop areas being used for solar.

NTO — a consortium of labor, operating, and financial partners including Ferrovial, Carlyle, JLC Infrastructure, and Ullico — is building the privately financed world-class all-international terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The 2.4 million sq. ft terminal will serve as a global gateway to the New York metropolitan area and is estimated to generate over 10,000 jobs. The first gates are expected to be open in 2026, with full completion anticipated by 2030.

Upon project completion, NTO will be the first resilient airport transit hub in the New York region that can function independently of the power grid, to maintain 100% of airport operations during power disruptions across the 23 gates and more than 177,000 square feet of dining, retail, lounges, and recreational space.

The 11.34-MW microgrid will include 7.66 MW of rooftop solar, 3.68 MW of fuel cells, 2 MW/4 MWh of battery energy storage, and use re-claimed heat to generate chilled water and heat hot water. The microgrid will consist of four “power islands,” with each island functioning as a local, integrated energy system with sources of generation, storage, advanced automation and control. The rooftop PV system will have over 13,000 solar panels.

The microgrid will be delivered to New Terminal One stakeholders by AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of global investment firm Carlyle and Schneider Electric that designs, builds, owns, operates and maintains tailored energy infrastructure. As strategic partners for the project, Carlyle is financing the microgrid, while Schneider Electric is delivering leading microgrid technology, software and services. The project is delivered through an Energy as a Service (EaaS) contract, a long-term agreement ensuring predictable operating costs and guaranteed performance without upfront capital expenditures.

The system’s performance is managed by AlphaStruxure’s Integrate, a cyber-secure digital platform that optimizes microgrid operations by compiling and analyzing data across the on-site energy infrastructure. 24/7 operators predict and respond to the system in real-time through the AlphaStruxure Network Operations Center. With an intelligent microgrid in place, the terminal will work toward eliminating power disruptions while maximizing distributed energy resources for resilience.

“This New Terminal One infrastructure project illuminates a new pathway to decarbonizing the air transportation sector. We’re thrilled to provide a holistic microgrid solution that will keep NTO powered through outages and advance the city, state and Port Authority’s ambitious decarbonization goals,” said Juan Macias, CEO, AlphaStruxure. “This project is paving the way for all transportation hubs and municipalities across the country. Not only is it about resilient energy, it’s about decarbonization, risk transfer and cost predictability via the Energy as a Service business model.”

AlphaStruxure’s microgrid solution is designed to achieve ambitious New York State, City and PANYNJ’s sustainability mandates, and will contribute towards the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requiring 70% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

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