This may come as a big surprise to many of you but London Southend Airport used to be the third busiest one in this country going back to the 1960s and 1970s prior to London Stansted taking over this position. Since being taken over in 2008, the airport has had some major improvements and the number of passengers using it has been on the increase with almost one million people using it last year.
You will be interested to note that just under 500 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the terminal building that will provide power for various outlets in the terminal such as shops and food outlets. It is forecast that the solar panels will help reduce carbon emissions by about 1,000 tonnes that will help in the UK’s endeavours to hit renewable energy targets by 2020.
The airport would appear to be keen on renewable energy schemes as they also use escalators that start slowly, special glass to maximise the use of natural light and have carried out certain improvements to the building’s insulation. The airport is to be commended for the work that they have done to improve the environment. There will no doubt be cost savings made over a period of 20 years in respect of electricity costs to make the installation of these solar panels a further benefit.
Apparently, this solar photovoltaic panel installation is the biggest one of its kind to be put in at an airport in the UK. The roof of the terminal building is in fact curved. It will provide an interesting view for the many passengers that arrive by plane and take off each day. Gatwick has just over 200 solar panels in place.
We would welcome being notified about any other similar solar panel installations at airports around the UK that you happen to hear about.
