Overview
Installed Capacity: 12MW
Location: Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine, Victoria
Traditional Owners: Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People
Number of Panels: 30,000
About the project
Further terminal, property and airfield developments are driving Melbourne
Airport’s increasing electricity demand over the next five years. This growth
is occurring within an evolving energy and carbon regulatory environment and increasing community expectations about environmental stewardship.
The use of renewable energy will play a key role in ensuring Melbourne Airport achieve their renewable energy targets. They are aiming to meet half of their energy needs through on-site solar generation by 2030.
In 2021, the solar farm constructed by Beon at Oaklands Junction under the approach to the north-south runway, was energised. The farm is 16 hectares in size and is the largest solar installation at any airport in Australia.
2025 and beyond
In 2023, Beon commenced construction on a second solar farm. The North Airfield solar farm will produce 7.5 megawatts of energy and will sit adjacent to our existing Oaklands Junction solar farm on the corner of Sunbury Road and Oaklands Drive. It will comprise around 20,000 solar panels.
The two solar farms together will cover an area about the size of 40 soccer pitches.
When the second solar farm is completed, the two will generate 34 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy per annum and, together, provide approximately 40% of the airport’s total energy consumption needs. This is enough energy to power terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Melbourne Airport’s Green Power Network
GreenPower independently audits participating providers to make sure the right amount of renewable energy is fed into the grid. Melbourne Airport is an approved GreenPower Provider which means that on-site businesses, partners and retailers can choose Melbourne Airport GreenPower as their electricity supplier.
Melbourne Airport is Australia’s first and only airport to become a GreenPower approved Provider.
Melbourne Airport’s “grows” its own energy on-site using solar farms then on-selling that power to retailers, tenants and partners. The energy supplied is cleaner, competitively priced, renewable and is fully accredited.
