The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) announced plans for a major expansion of solar energy infrastructure at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which will add approximately 5 megawatts of generating capacity across five airport sites and will produce nearly 5.9 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity in its first year of operation, enough to power more than 550 homes.
“Since Day One, my administration has moved quickly to bring new, clean energy onto the grid and modernize our energy infrastructure — from launching six large-scale solar and battery storage projects to accelerating solar expansion statewide,” said New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
”We are continuing to lead with the Port Authority at Newark Liberty, and this project builds on that progress. This initiative will add nearly 5.9 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, support new jobs, and move us closer to a clean energy future. Newark Liberty is one of the front doors to New Jersey, and this project will show why we are a national leader in energy innovation,” Sherrill said.
The Newark Liberty expansion will mark a nearly tenfold increase in solar energy capacity over five years, reaching nearly 20 megawatts in generating capacity across 32,000 panels.
“The scale of what we are building at Newark Liberty, in addition to our existing rooftop installations, reflects how seriously this agency takes its obligations to the communities around our facilities and to the broader challenge of climate change,” said Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia.
“These five additional sites at the airport, together generating 5 megawatts, show that our net-zero commitment is more than wishful thinking. It is a construction schedule and a signed agreement, with the reality of clean energy coming online at one of the busiest airports in the country,” Garcia added.
SunLight Partnership
Developed in partnership with SunLight General Capital under a power purchase agreement, the project will be designed, built, financed, owned, operated, and maintained by the developer.
“We are honored to partner with the Port Authority on such an exciting and meaningful project,” said SunLight General Capital Chief Investment Officer Ed Klehe.
“Expanding solar across Newark Liberty International Airport is a powerful example of how clean energy can be integrated into complex, high-impact infrastructure. The Port Authority has shown impressive environmental stewardship and a clear commitment to reducing emissions across its facilities, and SunLight General Capital is proud to help bring that vision to life through long-term ownership and operation of these solar systems,” Klehe said.
The Port Authority will purchase the electricity generated at a pre-determined rate, locking in long-term cost certainty while minimizing upfront capital expenditure. Construction is expected to begin this year, with completion targeted for 2028.
The Port Authority selected SunLight General Capital through a competitive bidding process in 2024. Under the power purchase agreement, SunLight will build, own, and maintain the solar installation sites while the Port Authority purchases the electricity they produce at a locked-in rate, a model that allows the agency to add significant clean energy capacity without a large upfront public investment.
Industry-Leading Sustainability
The project represents a significant contribution to the Port Authority’s industry-leading sustainability goals. In 2021, the agency installed 1.6 megawatts of solar capacity across its facilities.
“Newark Liberty has been central to our sustainability story for years, home to the largest rooftop solar installation at any U.S. airport and the agency’s first fully decarbonized building,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.
The five sites for new solar installations at Newark Liberty will span rooftops, parking lots, and parking structures, including the parking lot in front of Buildings 79/80 at the northeast corner of the airport campus, the Terminal C garage, the P4 parking garage, and the rideshare lot.
The rideshare lot installation is sized to support fast-charging electric vehicle stations, bolstering the Port Authority’s commitment to supporting electric vehicle use across the region. The project will avoid nearly 2,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually — the equivalent of taking approximately 460 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for a year.
Commitment to Full Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
In 2021, the Port Authority became the first U.S. transportation agency to commit to full net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the first to sign the Paris climate agreement.
The Port Authority’s net-zero roadmap, released in 2023, lays out more than 40 concrete actions spanning aviation, maritime, rail, and infrastructure, including targets for fleet electrification, building decarbonization, solar expansion, and cooperative emissions reductions with tenants and contractors.
Solar Infrastructure at Newark Airport
At Newark Liberty, the Terminal A parking garage already houses a 5-megawatt rooftop solar array, the largest rooftop solar installation at any U.S. airport, with 12,708 panels covering the equivalent of more than six football fields.
The airport’s historic Building One, dedicated in 1935 as the nation’s first air passenger terminal, recently became the Port Authority’s first building to undergo a full decarbonization retrofit, eliminating all on-site fossil fuel use and serving as a prototype for future building decarbonization plans across the agency.
Port Authority’s Solar Buildout
Across the region, the Port Authority’s solar buildout has repeatedly set new industry standards. A 12-megawatt solar carport is under construction at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s (JFK) Long Term Parking Lot 9, paired with 7.5 megawatts of battery storage and a community solar component that will deliver discounted clean energy to low-income residents in surrounding Queens neighborhoods.
JFK’s New Terminal One will feature more than 13,000 solar panels on its roof, the largest solar array at any airport terminal in the country, spanning nearly seven football fields. A 1.5-megawatt array operates atop LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B garage, and a 7.2-megawatt installation at the Port of New York and New Jersey now generates 50 percent of the Port Newark Container Terminal’s annual energy needs.
Solar is one pillar of a sweeping sustainability agenda the Port Authority has pursued across its facilities. On fleet electrification, the agency has met its interim goal of converting 50 percent of its non-emergency light-duty vehicle fleet to electric, supported by more than 300 charging ports across Port Authority facilities.
More than 1,700 pieces of zero-emission ground service equipment, like baggage tugs, pushback tractors, and belt loaders, are now in use across Port Authority airports, the result of sustainability requirements the agency has embedded in its agreements with airline and terminal partners. In 2024, the Port Authority received a record grant through the EPA’s Clean Ports Program, the largest sustainability award in the agency’s history, directing funds toward cleaner equipment and infrastructure at the East Coast’s busiest seaport. Construction is also underway on the new Midtown Bus Terminal, designed from the ground up for net-zero operations and built to accommodate all-electric bus fleets.
About the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state agency that builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. For over a century, the agency’s network of major airports, critical bridges, tunnels and bus terminals; a commuter rail line; and the busiest seaport on the East Coast has been among the most vital in the country – transporting hundreds of millions of people and moving essential goods into and out of the region.
The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center campus, which today welcomes tens of thousands of office workers and millions of annual visitors. The agency’s historic $37 billion 10-year capital plan includes unprecedented transformation of the region’s three major airports – LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and JFK – as well as an array of other new and upgraded assets, including the $2 billion renovation of the 93-year-old George Washington Bridge.
The Port Authority’s annual budget of $9.4 billion includes no tax revenue from either the states of New York or New Jersey or from the city of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit.
For more information, visit www.panynj.gov or check out the Now Arriving blog.