Solar Farm Under Construction at Greater Binghamton Airport

While a major modernization initiative continues at Greater Binghamton Airport, construction has begun on another project that has nothing to do with aviation.

Workers are now building a solar energy system on a 30-acre section of airport property in the town of Maine.

The 6.3 megawatt solar farm is being developed in an area southwest of the airport terminal off Commercial Drive.

Above Grid, a Texas-based company, has a 25-year lease to operate the facility on the site. The lease agreement was approved by the Broome County legislature in 2022.

The new solar farm will use a technology that allows the panels to track the sun's movement during the day to increase the amount of electricity generated by the facility.

Broome County aviation commissioner Mark Heefner noted there was a lengthy process involved in moving from discussions of the environmental and technical aspects of the project to the construction phase.

Heefner said "it's a good use of the space" at the airport. The solar project is located well below the runway grade in a hilly area "that's perfect for solar."

Heefner said the solar array won't distract pilots who are using the airport.

The facility is expected to go into operation by late next year.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.