The switch to renewable sources of energy has taken off in Kochi. Cochin International Airport (CIAL) has become the first airport in the country to be operating on solar power. This will make the airport ‘absolutely power neutral’ in terms of energy consumption.
A 12MWp solar power project was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on August 18. Photovoltaic cells have been laid across 45 acres and will produce 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day. Electricity produced by the solar power plant will be consumed by airport for its operational functions.
In March 2013, CIAL ventured into the solar power sector by installing a 100 kWp solar photovoltaic plant on the roof top of the Arrival Terminal Block. Owing to the success of this move, CIAL went further ahead with its plans to go solar, and installed a 1MWp solar power plant in the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar facility of the airport.
So far, these plants have saved as much as 550 MT OF CO2 emissions thereby helping the airport authorities minimize environment degradation. Once the new power plant starts functioning, the airport will generate enough solar power to run day to day affairs of the entire premises.
A similar effort saw Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium become the world's first solar powered stadium. Also, Facebook’s vision of providing internet via solar-powered drones has also found applause among environmentalists. Lastly, Solar Impulse II’s flight across the world is perhaps the best example of mankind's ability to shift to renewable sources of energy completely. India’s contribution is also well marked in this case with several cities going for renewable alternatives for power generation.
(Featured Image Credit: thehindubusinessline.com))
