New York Construction Report staff report
AlphaStruxure says it has signed an agreement to design, construct, and operate the largest rooftop solar array in the city. 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 and cut greenhouse gas emission by 38 percent
The set-up will generate enough energy 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.
JFK’s NTO will be the first airport transit hub in the region that can function off-grid during power disruptions.
A consortium of labor, operating, and financial partners including Ferrovial, Carlyle, JLC Infrastructure, and Ullico—is building the privately-financed all-international terminal in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The 2.4 million square foot 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.
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, and electricity generated by the solar array alone is enough to power the equivalent of 1,039 average U.S. homes for a year.
Carlyle is financing the microgrid, while Schneider Electric is providing technology, software, and services. The project will be completed through an Energy as a Service (EaaS) contract, a long-term agreement ensuring predictable operating costs and guaranteed performance without upfront capital expenditures.
“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,” AlphaStruxture CEO Juan Macias said in a statement. “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.”
