Cochin International Airport, located in the southern state of Kerala, is the first airport in India to be solely powered by the sun. At its international cargo complex one can see a farm of 46,150 solar panels laid out on 45 acres of land. Currently, the airport produces between 50,000 and 60,000 units of electricity every day. After powering all its electricity requirements, the airport sells the excess to the grid or draws back from it on cloudy days, making the airport “carbon neutral”.
This move to solar power is also expected to help cut pollution in Kochi (Cochin) which is ranked the 24th most polluted in India according to a survey by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Technology. Speaking with the Thomas Reuters Foundation, V.J. Kurian, managing director of the Airport said the solar panels will reduce carbon emissions by 300,000 tons over the next 25 years, which is equivalent to planting 3 million trees.
