OKLAHOMA CITY – The Federal Aviation Administration’s largest solar project to date is coming to the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.
Clean electricity generated from the solar panels on the agency’s property will help serve the center’s power needs.
The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, where air traffic controllers, technical operations professionals and aviation inspectors are trained, includes more than 130 buildings spread across 1,100 acres.
“This project captures the area’s abundant sunshine, will save valuable taxpayer dollars and will help build a more sustainable aviation system,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said.
The panels are expected to produce 2,600 megawatt-hours annually, the equivalent needed to power 260 average homes. The project will reduce the FAA center’s electric bill by an estimated $170,000 to $200,000 annually.
However, the solar panels reportedly will cost almost $4 million, which means it might take 20 to 23 years for the solar project to pay for itself.
The Monroney Center project will help the FAA meet President Biden’s goal for federal buildings to be powered by clean and sustainable sources.
Sixteen of the FAA’s 24 certified sustainable buildings are located on the Monroney Center campus. The center has participated in two pilot programs for electric vehicle charging stations, and local university students are studying ways to better track the center’s energy use and reporting.
The Monroney Center has more than 6,300 federal employees, contractors, and students who work in a wide variety of FAA organizations, performing critical functions that touch every aspect of the National Airspace System. The mission of the center is to directly support the safe and efficient operations for U.S. national and international aviation systems and to provide competitive business solutions for FAA customers.