India launches world’s first solar-powered airport at Kochi in kerala

India’s Cochin International Airport is set to become the first in the world powered entirely by solar. Situated in Kochi, the airport handled 6.8 million passengers in the 2014-15 financial year and forecasts a 300,000-tonne (330,700-ton) reduction in carbon emissions over the next 25 years as a result of the switch to solar.

Cochin International Airport Limited says the mitigation of carbon emissions over the next 25 years is equivalent to planting three million trees Cochin International Airport Limited says the mitigation of carbon emissions over the next 25 years provided by the switch to solar is equivalent to planting three million trees Cochin International Airport Limited claims that the power the plant generates each year would be enough for 10,000 homes Cochin International Airport Limited claims that the power the plant generates each year would be enough for 10,000 homes
The Cochin International Airport, which is the first in India developed under a public-private partnership model, first dipped its toes into the solar power waters in 2013 when it built a 100 kilowatt peak (kWp) rooftop photovoltaic (PV) plant on its arrivals terminal. This was followed by a 1 MWp PV plant that was split between the rooftop and the ground at its aircraft maintenance hangar facility.

Now it scaling things up in a big way. Unveiled this week, the new 12 MWp solar plant stretches across 45 acres (18.2 ha) and is made up of more than 46,000 photovoltaic solar panels that are located alongside the cargo terminal. The airport claims that the power it generates each year would be enough for 10,000 homes. In combination with the pre-existing solar plants, the plant is expected to make the airport completely carbon neutral.

Aljazeera Report

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