Saison 5 episode 4 : Powering the Big Apple

Alex Sarly, Development Director, TotalEnergies: In tennis, I often encounter flow. It's an interplay between performance and strategy, where every single action counts. And just like in tennis, at work, my actions are very deliberate. It also requires precision, determination and teamwork. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is I get sunshine on my face. So it's kind of funny that I work in an industry that also uses the sun to energize. I work for TotalEnergies, a multi energy company, producing primarily hydrocarbons, with a growing focus on renewable projects like this one at JFK. It's very important that projects like these get built in cities like New York. This solar project at the iconic JFK airport has been one of our biggest undertakings. I feel we're building a blueprint for a more sustainable future. Coming back to New York City, always brings up lots of happy memories. I actually met my wife here and we started our family here together. In a place like New York City, every inch of space counts. It's very difficult to find open areas. This is the challenge for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New York Power Authority when looking for ways to meet their decarbonization goals. They realized that utilizing the existing built environment could be a solution. JFK’s long term parking lot nine has one of the largest parking lots in all of New York State, making it an ideal location to put this into practice. JFK was once the gateway to the West, and now it's undergoing about a $20 billion revitalization program, really making it a world class facility again. These solar parking canopies and battery energy storage system will reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the airport by approximately 6,000 metric tons per year. We broke ground on this project 12 months ago. I was involved in overseeing all the planning well before that. We're currently halfway through the project and we're due to install battery storage containers later this month.

Scott Kessler, Program Director, Office of Sustainability, PANYNJ: So this is the biggest individual project we actually have contributed to our goals. We're aiming to get to 50% decarbonization by 2030, full net zero by 2050. It is sort of the central piece to us becoming a leader in airport sustainability.

Benjamin Cuozzo, Director / DER Advisory, New York Power Authority: It’s the largest canopy project within not only New York City, but in New York State and is the largest single solar project within the five boroughs.

Scott Kessler, Program Director, Office of Sustainability, PANYNJ: The first half of the project, all of the energy goes to powering the AirTrain. The second half of the project, the power goes directly into the local utility system where we're making revenue from the electricity but then also benefits go to low income households nearby, provides them with discounts on their utility bill. So not only is the airport getting a benefit, but the neighborhoods nearby the community also get a benefit.

Nantasha Williams, Member of New York City Council, District 27: Before I was a council member, actually I worked for the JFK redevelopment program. And one of our initiatives was to ensure that the community would be benefiting from the redevelopment.

Alex Sarly: - Hey Natasha, how are you? Natasha is dedicated to creating new opportunities and empowering the voices of vulnerable communities. Her commitment also aligns with the ethos of this project.

Nantasha Williams: Not only are we providing clean energy to communities who have been negatively impacted, especially in terms of the air quality, living in close proximity to the airport but we're also helping them financially. Anything to improve people's life is welcome.

Alex Sarly: This project at JFK symbolizes our commitment to supporting our customers and their energy transitions. We can help shape what travel looks like in a climate conscious world. We can harness the power of renewable energy, turning our passion into action.