Alfen helps Rotterdam The Hague Airport to become more sustainable

Together with Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA), Unisun Energy is developing a solar park. The solar park will be located on the airfield, along the runways and will consist of around 34,000 solar panels. The installation has a total capacity of over 14MWp and generates enough energy to fully provide RTHA and surroundings with renewable energy. The estimated annual energy production exceeds 12.6GWh. The construction will start in July 2021.

Alfen installs the local high-voltage cabling at the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and facilitates the entire 10MVA grid connection on the energy grid of Stedin, so the generated energy from the solar park can be connected to the central energy grid via the local high-voltage grid. For this project, Alfen provides four 2,500kVA transformer substations. The implementation and exploitation will take place on the airside, along the runways of a fully operational airport, which includes extensive safety measures.

Due to the unique location, Alfen will deploy additional safety measures such as an emergency stop in the control tower. This enables the possibility to cut the power on the entire local high-voltage grid with the touch of a button. The very strict measures under the EASA and FAA regulations make this a one-of-a-kind project.

The solar park will make an important contribution to the vision of the airport to become a "Next Generation Airport", make the energy supply more sustainable and reduce the pressure on the environment and the surroundings. This project provides zero-emission electricity for the entire RTHA and the surroundings.

Leon Heijkoop, Chief Operations Officer at Unisun, expresses his satisfaction to work together with Alfen on yet another prestigious project. The collaboration, which goes back years, has forged a mutual trust and Alfen knows exactly what Unisun is looking for in a solar park. In addition, during an intensive preparatory engineering period, all strict requirements and regulations have already been incorporated into the design, which should make the implementation run smoothly. 

Serge Kraaijeveld, Sales Manager Smart Grid Solutions at Alfen, adds: "It is fantastic to work with Unisun on this spectacular project. The location and associated regulations with regard to safety and business operations make this project complex and unique. Customised solutions and complexity suit Alfen perfectly and we are excited to be able to contribute."