Solar carport project will help helicopters take flight

Safran Helicopter Engines USA has partnered with San Antonio-based Big Sun Solar to build a solar canopy system at its facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. This solar project will offset the manufacturing company’s energy costs and provide covered parking for its employees.

Credit: Big Sun Solar

Nine solar canopies holding more than 1,500 solar panels manufactured in Texas will be built in the parking lot providing enough electricity to offset 25% of the energy consumption at the facility.

“We are pleased to be one of the first Safran sites in the U.S. to install solar panels at our facility. Reducing our carbon footprint is a major objective for Safran, and this project gets Safran Helicopter Engines closer to achieving our goal of 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2025,” said Thierry Derrien, Safran Helicopter Engines USA president and CEO.

The 663-kW_DC project is expected to generate approximately 989,689 kWh per year, harnessing the power of 1,542 solar panels.

“We’re proud to work with Safran to support their low-carbon objectives. We also love that they have chosen solar carports, which offer the added benefit of providing covered employee parking and protecting cars from the hot Texas sun,” said Robert Miggins, CEO of Big Sun Solar.

The Safran Helicopter Engines USA solar project is expected to be completed and commissioned in September 2023.

News item from Big Sun Solar