Fast Park completed installation and commissioning of 300 solar panels at its Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) facility this week. The solar panels are expected to:
-Produce 79.38kW of energy or enough to power approximately 11 average homes
-Provide about 16 percent of the entire facility's power usage and 80 percent of the power needed in the recently-expanded section of the facility
-Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Austin by 100 tons per year, which is equal to taking 18 cars off of the road
Fast Park worked with Third Sun Solar, an Ohio-based solar company, to complete the installation project. Third Sun Solar selected a local Austin company, Meridian Solar, to perform the engineering and construction using local labor. The project is supported in part by a financial incentive from Austin Energy.
This installation is the latest move to make the facility more eco-friendly. In June, a major facility expansion was completed, which included the installation of carports for more than 1,700 spaces making the entire 4,800-space parking lot now completely covered. This will significantly reduce the heat island effect that is often generated by large parking lots. Also during the expansion, four FastCharge electric vehicle charging stations were installed so guests can receive a complimentary charge for their vehicle while they are traveling. Additionally, the facility utilizes eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle buses to transport guests to the airport.
"We are continuously looking for ways to make our facilities better, greener and more energy-efficient," said Melanie Chavez, Executive Vice President of Construction and Branding at Fast Park. "Our Austin facility is no exception. While we grow in this market, we are focused on implementing a wide range of eco-friendly initiatives. From our recently installed FastCharge charging stations to our covered parking to this week's solar panel installation we look forward to collecting the energy-saving data and seeing what kind of impact these initiatives have on our surrounding community and guest experiences."
