For decades, the aviation industry has been notorious for its fossil fuel consumption. But it looks like Boeing might be trying to change that. The company, along with South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), recently announced the completion of a photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof of the Boeing South Carolina 787 Final Assembly building in North Charleston, S.C. The 2.6-megawatt (MW) PV system consists of more than 18,000 thin-film PV laminate modules covering 10 acres of the factory’s rooftop, making it the largest rooftop PV installation in the Southeastern U.S.
The system is expected to generate enough electricity to power about 250 homes, and will be owned and operated by SCE&G. Boeing will receive credit for the energy produced by the system through the utility’s net metering program. In order the power the facility with 100 percent renewable energy, Boeing has agreed to offset the remainder of the plant’s electrical needs by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) from SCE&G’s North Charleston biomass generator.
image via Boeing
