Solar power is largely considered to be the power source of the future, and tech giants such as Tesla and Apple are certainly propagating this idea. A city in India, however, is taking things to the next level, announcing that its international airport will run entirely on solar power.
The city is Cochin, and it's found in the South Indian state of Kerala. There will be a total of 46,150 solar panels laid out across 45 acres.
"Cochin International Airport, the country's first airport built under PPP model has scripted another chapter in aviation history by becoming the first airport in the world that completely operates on solar power," said the airport in a statement. "Now, Cochin airport will have 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day to be consumed for all its operational functions, which technically make the airport 'absolutely power neutral.'"
The airport says that a whopping 300,000 tons of carbon emissions will be saved over the next 25 years due to the change to solar panels. That is the equivalent of not driving 750 million miles or planting three million trees.
Cochin International Airport Limited, or CIAL, which is the airport's parent company, plans on selling surplus energy from the solar panels to the Kerala State Electricity Board. The company is also looking into alternate energy resources, some of which will take advantage of the many water bodies in Kerala for potential hydropower.
As a country, India already has a whopping four gigawatts of solar capacity, and the country's government has begun telling other airports to take a similar direction as the one in Cochin. The international terminal at the Cochin airport will open in May 2016.
Of course, all of this is great, but there is one potential issue with solar panels in India. According to some reports, monkeys have been wreaking havoc on solar panels in the country, chewing on electrical wires and even licking the panels when they collect dew.
Via: The Verge
