AAI Green Initiatives: Airports in India Getting Upgraded With Solar Power Plants

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has taken initiatives for working towards Carbon neutrality and achieving net zero carbon emission at airports in the country. Airports Authority of India is on its path to upgrading all its Airports with Solar Power Plants.

Highlights

  • As of July 2022, 58 airports across the country are using green energy.
  • Government is making all efforts to promote the use of green energy at airports.
  • Airport operators are advised to work towards carbon neutrality & net zero emission.

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AAI Green Initiatives: Airports in India getting Upgraded with Solar Power Plants

A few months back, in our routine self-awareness activity, we gained a lot of insights when we explored sustainable energy sources in different countries, their climate and other challenges. Although it has nothing to do with aviation, the current story of AAI Green Initiatives is related to green and clean energy sources. Thanks to its Geography and Climate, India has that advantage in generating and utilising Solar Power.

We are already aware of how Aviation Industry across the globe is trying to make Air Travel sustainable by deploying various measures, offering Green Fares, formulating new frameworks and investing in clean alternatives. It won't be an accomplishment when Airlines alone take the initiative, as the ground connecting points - Airports - are also a part of the eco-system. Hence, the AAI's Green Initiatives.

Accreditation Program of Airports Council International:

At this juncture, it is also worth knowing that Airports across the globe continuously look for the usage of renewable/green energy. As per the Accreditation program of the Airports Council International (ACI), various International Airports have achieved Carbon Neutrality by using a series of measures, which also include the use of green/renewable energy.

AAI's Green Initiatives:

Now that the context is set, let's delve into the story. Airports Authority of India is on its path to upgrading all its Airports with Solar Power Plants. With this, AAI is promoting the Clean India, Green India campaign by increasing the use of renewable energy at its various Airports across the country. While AAI's measures have ensured various airports are equipped with clean energy sources, work is in progress at some airports.

Measures Taken by the Airport Operators in India:

For encouraging green energy at the airports, the airport operators including the Airports Authority of India (AAI), have installed solar power plants under net metering / captive mode at various locations/Airports for the generation and self-consumption of green and renewable energy.

In addition, few airports are procuring green energy through open access. Further, airport operators with scheduled operations are advised to map the carbon emissions at their respective airports. MoCA has advised all the operational airports with scheduled operations and developers of the upcoming Greenfield Airports to work towards achieving Carbon Neutrality & Net Zero, which inter-alia includes use of green energy.

100% Green Airports:

As of July 2022, Delhi, Mumbai and Cochin airports' share of green energy in total energy consumption is 100%. Cochin Airport is the first green airport in the world, fully powered by solar energy.

Few Recent Progress Updates as shared by AAI:

Agartala Airport: The airport is equipped with a rooftop solar power plant of 0.25 MW capacity and is generating clean energy for the airport. The airport will soon be equipped with another 2MW solar plant that will cater to all energy requirements.

Vadodara Airport: The airport is recently equipped with a ground-mounted solar power plant with a cumulative capacity of 675 kWp. The power plant is currently catering to around 30% of the total load of the airport.

Silchar Airport: The Airport is equipped with a 100kWp rooftop solar power plant, divided into a 67 kWp plant installed at AAI's residential complex & a 33 kWp plant installed at the Substation.

Prayagraj Airport: The Airport is equipped with a solar power plant of 50kWp, helping the airport in energy conservation. The plant was commissioned in August 2019 and is currently catering to 8% of the total energy load of the airport.

Airports using Green Energy in India:

As of July 2022, 58 airports in India are using green energy. The list of the airports is as below:

S No.State/UTName of the Airport
1Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT)Portblair
2
Andhra Pradesh
Rajahmundry
3Vijayawada
4Tirupati
5
Assam
Dibrugarh
6Jorhat
7Silchar
8Guwahati
9
Bihar
Gaya
10Patna
11ChhattisgarhRaipur
12Chandigarh (UT)Chandigarh
13
Delhi (UT)
Safdarjung
14IGI Airport
15
Gujarat
Rajkot
16Vadodara
17Bhuj
18Ahmedabad
19
Jharkhand
Deoghar
20Ranchi
21Jammu & KashmirJammu
22KarnatakaKIA Bengaluru
23
Kerala
Calicut
24Cochin
25Kannur
26Thiruvananthapuram
27Ladakh (UT)Leh
28
Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal
29Indore
30
Maharashtra
Gondia
31Juhu
32Aurangabad
33Nagpur
34Pune
35CSMI Airport Mumbai
36Shirdi
37Nashik (Ozar)
38ManipurImphal
39
Odisha
Jharsuguda
40Bhubaneswar
41Puducherry (UT)Puducherry
42PunjabAmritsar
43
Rajasthan
Kishangargh
44Jaisalmer
45Jodhpur
46Jaipur
47
Tamil Nadu
Madurai
48Chennai
49Tiruchirapalli (Trichy)
50
Telangana
RGI Airport Hyderabad
51Hyderabad (Begumpet)
52TripuraAgartala
53
Uttar Pradesh
Allahabad (Prayagraj)
54Kanpur
55Lucknow
56Varanasi
57
West Bengal
Bagdogra
58Kolkata

While 'Green Energy' is just one aspect of the story of sustainable efforts at the Airports, we will look into other measures (such as GRIHA Rating) in the coming days.

If you are a nature lover like us and a frequent flyer, reading this story must have given you that much needed fresh breather this morning! Keep reading aviationscoop as we cover more such initiatives and measures from the Aviation Industry.

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