Sydney's new airport will arrive wearing a solar roof: 8,824 panels before the first flight

Western Sydney International Airport does not open until late 2026, but its roof is already at work. A 4.5-megawatt rooftop solar system — 8,824 panels spread across the terminal, both piers and the car-park walkways — is expected to generate more than 5,800 megawatt-hours of clean power a year, avoiding an estimated 3,712 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. It is the airport's first clean-energy project, delivered before a single passenger checks in.