In another feat for India’s solar development, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport now runs 100% on solar and hydro energy. It has become the country’s first airport to run entirely on a combination of renewable energies. The Cochin International Airport (Kerala) was also the first airport in the world that operates 100% on solar energy, back in 2015. The Indian airports are on a spree setting massive records worldwide.
The Delhi airport’s goal is to achieve the ‘Net Zero Carbon Emissions Airport’ target by the year 2030 and this is a major step towards it and will help the airport lower carbon dioxide emissions by 2 lakh tonnes annually. The airport meets 94% of its energy requirement from hydro energy while the remaining 6% comes from solar energy. For hydropower, there is a long-term PPA signed with a Himachal Pradesh-based hydropower company for the supply of hydroelectricity until 2036. While for solar power, there are solar plants with a capacity of 7.8 MW on the airside and roofs of the airport’s cargo terminals.
Delhi airport has been using solar power for a long time but is fulfilling its major power needs from hydropower now. The airport already houses green buildings and electric vehicles and is reducing emissions by improving operational efficiencies. The Delhi IGI Airport has been using TaxiBots since 2019, a vehicle that allows aircraft to taxi without requiring them to turn their engines on. Also, read about carports running on solar power at airports. It also announced adding more than 60 electric vehicles to its fleet in the next three to four months, recently. The Delhi international airport is giant and has huge power demand. This transition to renewable energy is a major welcome step in order to reducing pollution in the Indian capital (of pollution).
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