page_title: Denver International Airport
section_title: Solar energy system
hierarchical_section_title: Denver International Airport / Features / Solar energy system
context_page_description: Denver International Airport, locally known as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At 33,531 acres, it is the largest airport in North America by land area and the second largest in the world, behind King Fahd International Airport. Runway 16R/34L, with a length of 16,000 feet, is the longest public use runway in North America and the seventh longest in the world.
  Opened in 1995, DEN currently has non-stop service to 215 destinations amongst 23 different airlines throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia; it is the fourth airport in the U.S. to exceed 200 destinations. The airport is a hub for both United Airlines and Frontier Airlines and is also a base for Southwest Airlines. As of 2019, DEN is the 16th busiest airport in the world — the fifth busiest in the U.S. With over 35,000 employees, the airport is the largest employer in Colorado. The airport is located on the western edge of the Great Plains and within sight of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.
context_section_description: Denver International Airport currently has four solar photovoltaic arrays on airport property, with a total capacity of 10 megawatts or 16 million kilowatt-hours of solar electricity annually.
  Solar I
  In mid-2008, Denver International Airport inaugurated a $13 million (equivalent to $15.4 million today) solar farm situated on 7.5 acres (330,000 sq ft; 30,000 m²) directly south of Jeppesen Terminal between Peña Boulevard's inbound and outbound lanes. The solar farm consists of more than 9,200 solar panels that follow the sun to maximize efficient energy production and generate more than 3.4 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Owned and run by a specialist independent energy company, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, its annual output amounts to around 50% of the electricity required to operate the train system that runs between the airport's terminal and gate areas. By using this solar-generated power, DEN will reduce its carbon emissions by as much as five million pounds each year.
  Solar II
  In December 2009, a $7 million ($8.3 million today), 1.6-megawatt solar project on approximately nine acres (390,000 sq ft; 36,000 m²) north of the airport's airfield went into operation. The array is a project that involves MP2 Capital and Oak Leaf Energy Partners generating over 2.7 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually and provides approximately 100% of the airport's fuel farm's electricity consumption.
  Solar III
  A third solar installation situated on 28 acres (1,200,000 sq ft; 110,000 m²), dedicated in July 2011, is a 4.4MW complex, expected to generate 6.9 million kilowatt-hours of energy. Intermountain Electric Inc. built the system, with solar panels provided by Yingli Green Energy. The power array will reportedly reduce CO2 emissions by 5,000 metric tons per year.
  Solar IV
  The airport added its fourth solar power array in June 2014. The $6 million system can generate up to 2MW, or 3.1 million kilowatt-hours of solar electricity annually. It is located north of the airfield and provides electricity directly to the Denver Fire Department's Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Training Academy.
  Denver International Airport's four solar array systems now produce approximately six percent of the airport's total power requirements. The output makes DEN the largest distributed generation photovoltaic energy producer in the state of Colorado, and the second-largest solar array among U.S. airports.
caption: Partial view of the solar farm under construction, leaving the airport, July 1, 2008
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