Massport Turns To The Sun And Efficient Lighting To Brighten The Terminal B Garage
Project is part of $55 million garage rehabilitation and will be complete in four years

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today approved $55.7 million to rehabilitate the Terminal B parking garage at Boston Logan International Airport. The project includes the installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the garage roof and the replacement of existing lighting with Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights in the garage, roadway and walkway.

Constructed in 1974, the Terminal B garage has 2,640 spaces on five levels. Other upgrades to the garage and roadway system include the installation of a public address system, replacement of signage, column strengthening, drainage improvements and structural repairs. The project is expected to take 44 months to complete with the installation of solar panels starting this year and the LED lighting being phased in over the next two years.

Massport estimates that the use of LED fixtures use 49 percent less electricity – about 2,261,218 Kw-hours of electricity per year -- than existing usage. This, along with energy conservation measures, will reduce 1307 metric tons of CO2 and is the equivalent of not using 3,040 barrels of oil or 148,385 gallons of gasoline annually. The LED lights will cost approximately $2 million, about twice the amount of standard lighting, with the airport recouping its investment in 5.5 years. The airport expects a savings of $3.8 million in electrical usage over the next 20 years based on costs of $0.12 per kW-hr.

The installation of 16 solar panel trees is expected to produce 83,980 KW hours of electricity, or 2.5 percent of the total garage annual consumption. This is equal to the reduction of 50 metric tons of CO2 and is the equivalent of not using 115 barrels of oil or 5637 gallons of gasoline annually. Each solar panel “tree”, is a single structure design with a stem and steel frame that uses solar panels as a roof. The design has the added benefit of collecting rainwater that will be used for landscaping and cleaning projects on the airport. Each solar array will be mounted on an air ventilation unit on the roof of the garage and will not affect parking or the number or spaces available to travelers. Total cost for the photovoltaic solar panels is approximately $1.4 million.

“The rehabilitation of the Terminal B garage is a much needed project that is sure to improve the overall travel experience for people using the airport,” said Massport CEO and Executive Director Thomas J. Kinton, Jr. “The added benefit is that we have an opportunity through the installation of solar panels and LED lighting to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and promote energy conservation and renewable technologies. If the panels live up to our expectations, we have the capability of doubling the number of solar trees on the roof of the garage.”

Massport actively evaluates renewable energy options with the goal of meeting Governor Deval Patrick’s “Lead by Example” executive order that seeks procurement of 15% of all energy from renewable resources and setting aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals. Last year Massport installed 20 building-integrated wind turbines on the roof of the Logan Office Center which house Massport’s administrative offices at the airport. Massport also developed the first ISO 14001 airport, container terminal and bridge in the US and Terminal A is the world’s first airport terminal to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the Green Building Council. Signature Flight Support’s facility at Logan was LEED certified earlier this year.

Later this year Massport is planning to issue an RFP to purchase renewable energy credits so that by 2010 all of the electricity the Authority uses for its own operations will be offset through the purchase of those credits. This will allow the operations of the Authority to be carbon neutral.

Massport is the 2008 winner of Gov. Deval Patrick’s Leading by Example Award and the 2008 Environmental Management Award presented by the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) for its Emissions Reduction Program. Emissions reduction is one of the most prominent environmental, operational and community issues currently facing the aviation industry. Logan’s Emission Reduction Program encompasses a wide range of efforts that have significantly improved air quality in and around the airport, the nation’s 19th busiest. These include: alternative ground access transportation options; use of alternative fuel vehicles; energy optimization and conservation; and building design measures. Boston Logan, 15 minutes from Routes 128/90 and 5 minutes from downtown Boston, serves as the gateway to the New England region and offers nonstop service to 71 domestic and 31 international destinations and in 2008 handled 26.1 million passengers. Boston Logan is the Air Line Pilot Association’s Airport of the Year for 2008 because of its commitment to safety. Over the past decade, more than $4.4 billion has been spent building new terminals, parking facilities – including a cell phone lot, roadways, airfield improvements and airport concessions, all of which has transformed the airport into a world-class 21st Century facility and the airport of choice for all of New England.

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