Dublin Airport operator daa said it is looking at the potential of geothermal energy as a renewable, low-carbon energy source to heat and cool the airport's buildings.
Other European airports availing of this technology include Copenhagen, Paris-Orly, Amsterdam Schiphol, Geneva, as well as Louisville and Vancouver International airports in North America.
Geothermal energy comes from heat in the earth's core. While temperatures fluctuate above ground, a few feet below the Earth's surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature.
According to daa, Dublin Airport can benefit from geothermal energy by using ground source heat pumps (GSHP) onsite at the airport campus.
These use underground pipes to warm water that can then be used to help heat buildings and are a renewable, low-carbon energy source.
The initiative was announced ahead of the third National Geothermal Energy Summit taking place at Dublin Castle today.
High-level feasibility works to determine the viability of geothermal energy to meet the airport's heating and cooling demands efficiently took place in 2022 and these confirmed that the airport campus is an effective geothermal resource suitable for a GSHP system.
The airport operator has now issued a selective tender for a comprehensive geothermal feasibility study and initial design for Dublin Airport.
The plan will explore the suitability of geothermal energy as a renewable alternative to heating and cooling many of the terminals and campus buildings and daa said it expects to have the outcome of the feasibility study in summer 2025.
Meanwhile, daa confirmed that around 13% of Dublin Airport's current annual electricity needs are now being provided by a new 9MWp solar farm on the airport campus.
Installed by Enerpower, phase one of the Dublin Airport solar farm became operational in October.
The solar farm has more than 15,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which is a clean and renewable energy source that converts sunlight directly into electricity and emitting no greenhouse gases or pollutants.
The solar farm is expected to generate 9.02GWh a year which is 13% of Dublin Airport’s annual electrical consumption or the equivalent of powering approximately 1,600 homes for a year.
This is sufficient to cover the electricity needs of the entire airfield at Dublin Airport, with excess electricity contributing to the energy needs of the airport terminals and campus, daa said.
Dublin Airport is reviewing a second phase of the solar farm project, which would be a similar order of scale and located on the airport campus.
Andrea Carroll, daa's Group Head of Sustainability, said that the new initiative, along with its new solar farm which became operational last month, underscores the group's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and advancing towards its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"By integrating innovative renewable energy technologies, we are not only enhancing the sustainability of our operations but also setting a benchmark for other airports globally," she added.
