India’s commitment towards climate change is not just verbal or literal, but practical. Recently, the Cochin International Airport became the world’s first completely solar-powered airport. The 46,000 solar panels installed at the airport make it an absolutely power neutral facility.
The idea of powering entire airports through solar energy was ridiculed a few years back. But various advancements and achievements in the field of solar energy have made it possible.
But India Inc. is not willing to stop at Kochi. More airports across the country are taking the greener route. The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport in Kolkata is set to have a 15 to 20 MW solar energy capacity unit soon. The project will take care of 60% of the airport’s power needs. The funding for the same has been approved and allocated.
In addition to this, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has announced that major airports in the state of Rajasthan will also set up solar power plants which will account for a part of their daily power needs. The Jaipur airport, where a 100kW rooftop solar project is already up and running, is planning to install a 1.8 MW ground-based power project. Similarly, airports at Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur are also mulling over the idea of switching to solar energy.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport is also home to a solar power project. Moreover, commercial and industrial giants across the country are also focusing on renewable sources of energy. With solar projects at several Indian airports ready to take off, the country’s seriousness towards climate change cannot be questioned any longer.
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