DIA: Solar panels a success

DENVER - It's been one year since the Denver International Airport installed 9,200 solar panels in front of the terminal and the success of the solar farm is drawing national attention.

Airport officials wanted to cut down on carbon emissions and produce renewable energy and so far, they say the plan is working.

The solar panels have generated 2.8 megawatts of energy. That is enough to serve more than 1,500 homes and power DIA's underground people moving trains according to airport spokesman Chuck Cannon.

The photovoltaic system has experience a few bumps. Airport officials say a drop in temperatures caused an unforeseen problem last winter.

"Nineteen below zero hit this year and the fluids they had were not viscous enough and it actually froze on some of these [solar panels], so we changed that," Woods Allee, DIA special projects director told 9NEWS.

The power generated by the solar panels not only flows into DIA's grid, but other areas of the city. The savings also reduces carbon emissions by 6.3 million pounds a year.

The airport is getting alot of calls from around the country asking about the solar farm.

"We've had a number of requests from other airports and utilities to come out and tour the system and look at it, talk about economics, talk about the technology and so on," Allee said.

DIA does not own the solar farm, the company who owns it, Renewable Ventures, rents the land from the airport. The airport buys electricity from Renewable Ventures which paid $13.5 million to build the solar farm.

DIA plans to buy the solar farm after five years. It will cost $8 million and it plans to pay the cost back relatively quickly. Currently, DIA spends roughly $1 million in utilities per month. Utility cots rise about three percent a year.