A 12MW solar power plant was inaugurated at Cochin International Airport.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Follow @ambazaarmag
Cochin International Airport has set a new global standard by becoming the world’s first solar powered airport after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the 12MW solar power plant in the airport premise on Tuesday.
The solar project comprising of 46,150 units of solar panels is spread across a wide area of 45 acres near to the cargo complex was executed by Bosch Energy and Building Solutions. According to them, the plant has the capacity to generate 50,000 to 60,000 units of solar power every day.
With the solar panels functioning, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) expects to generate excess power required for the functioning of the airport. The CIAL officials said that the leftover power will be sold to the state’s electricity board.
CIAL had tested the feasibility of solar power back in 2013 when they installed solar panels on the roof of the arrival terminal block. Back then, it grabbed headline for becoming one of the first grid-connected solar power projects, which doesn’t need a battery to store electricity. It was installed by a Kolkata-based company Vikaram Solar Private Ltd.
According to CIAL director A.C.K. Nair, the solar plant installed in Cochin Airport produces renewable energy without causing carbon dioxide emissions, which is usually caused due to the burning of coal.
It is expected that in the next 25 years, the solar plant installed in Cochin International Airport can produce as much energy produced by burring more than 3 lakh metric tonnes of coal, which is equivalent to planting 30 lakh trees.
After the inauguration on Tuesday the US embassy in India wrote on its Facebook wall “Congratulations to the Cochin International Airport for being all set to become world’s first solar-powered airport! Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) will have the first solar power station set up on the airport premises, and the entire power requirement of the airport will be met through the energy generated there.”
Steffen Berns, President of Bosch Group and managing director Bosch Ltd, told media that the project completed in Cochin International Airport is the largest solar plant installed by Bosch Energy and Building Solutions team in India till date.