Christchurch Airport in New Zealand is powering ahead with a solar farm and will benefit from a national shift to advanced bag screening technology.
Providing the gateway to New Zealand’s South Island, Christchurch Airport has long been a leader in renewable energy and its drive for emission-free aviation. Today the airport announced it had selected its partners to deliver Phase 1 of its renewable energy precinct, which sits adjacent to its runways.
Quickly dispelling any ideas that this is a small undertaking, the 300-hectare (740 acres) Kowhai Park precinct will be home to around 300,000 solar panels, placing it among the largest solar farms in New Zealand. Christchurch Airport (CHC) has been talking with prospective partners for the last year or so, and today has settled on Contact Energy and Lightsource bp to bring the initiative online.
Contact Energy is one of NZ’s most significant energy generators and retailers, while Lightsource bp develops and manages solar energy projects and is jointly owned by energy giant bp.
Supporting Air New Zealand’s net zero pathway
With the nation’s flag carrier Air New Zealand already declaring it wants to lead the world towards zero emissions aviation, domestic airports have a significant role to play in supporting that goal. Christchurch Airport CEO Justin Watson said Kowhai Park would enable low-emissions aviation and help provide the extra green energy New Zealand needs to transition away from fossil fuels.
“Our goal is to ensure Kowhai Park is ready to provide the large amount of green energy these new aircraft will need. This starts with the solar farm, but we’re working to include green hydrogen generation down the track.”
The 150-megawatt solar farm is expected to generate 290 GWh per year, equivalent to powering 36,000 homes. It is enough for approximately half of Christchurch’s domestic flights to be converted to low-emission technologies and has the same carbon benefit as planting 1.25 million native trees and shrubs. Watson adds:
“This is an exciting time for aviation – zero and low emission aircraft are not far away. Our job is to do all we can to ensure they can take off as soon as possible.”
How will security become easier?
Photo: Thaspol Sangsee / Shutterstock
In an unrelated announcement this week, New Zealand’s Aviation Security Service (AvSec) awarded Smiths Detection a contract to upgrade screening technology at five major airports in NZ. The international airports in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Dunedin will be equipped with the latest security screening technology, boosting efficiency and the passenger experience of an often frustrating part of travel.
In today’s environment of crowded airports and staff shortages, security screening can be a major bottleneck, particularly so when laptops and liquids need to be removed from bags. Equally as frustrating as doing that is the variation between airports on the need to do it, which is where the new Smiths Detection technology takes the pain away.
Across NZ, 35 computed tomography X-ray machines will be installed, which allow passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their cabin baggage. The scanning equipment meets all the regulatory standards of the European Union and the US, ensuring the highest level of security while moving passengers seamlessly through the process.
Photo: Auckland Airport
The system will be further enhanced with a smart automatic tray return system and the Smiths Detection iCMore Weapons algorithm. This feature supports the security screeners by identifying knives, guns, gun parts or ammunition concealed in bags as they go through screening.
The system has been trialed at major airports in New Zealand, including Christchurch Airport. AvSec group general manager Ben Smith said those trials made the group “confident in being able to deploy advanced technology solutions within our security checkpoints.”
What do you think of these developments at Christchurch Airport? Let us know in the comments.
