The Cochin International Airport has made a real ecological strike. This is an airport, located in southern India. And it has just stopped paying for electricity at all because it simply does not need it. Just the opposite – the airport actually can contribute energy back to the electricity grid. It can do this because of its tens of thousands solar panels.

The first solar panels were installed on the airport three years ago. But last year the airport hired the German company ‘Bosch’ to turn some land near a terminal into a large power plant. Now, this investment in solar panels has started to pay off.

The first solar panels were put on the roof of one of the terminals. Others were added on and around a hangar. This had a real success and lead to the building of plenty of new solar panels.

"We wanted to be (energy) independent", stated Jose Thomas - the general manager of the airport.
The plant, built by ‘Bosch’  started functioning last year in August. This made this Indian airport the first one in the world which is completely powered by solar energy.

The installed tens of thousands of solar panels are able to generate a little more than the daily energy consummation of the airport - 48,000 to 50,000 kilowatts. The surplus energy produced goes to the wider electricity grid.

The installation of the solar panels cost about 620 million rupees which is around $9.3 million. The airport expects this investment to pay off in less than six years. This money will be saved by not paying for electricity anymore. 

There will be a also a huge ecological benefit - more than 300,000 metric tons of intoxicating emissions of carbon will be saved in the next 25 years because no coal power will be used.

Because of its great success, the Cochin's initiative has drawn the attention in the country and around the world. According to the Indian Civil Aviation Minister - Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the government has directed other Indian airports also to start using power from solar panels. Some of the aiports there are actually ready to follow the example of Cochin. Kolkata's international airport - a bigger and busier Indian airport plans the building of a solar plant. It will cover about 70 acres this year. This investment will probably reduce the costs for electricity by one third.  

Jose Thomas explained that airports usually own spacious vacant land. It could be used for the installation of solar panels. Still, this is a huge investment for an airport. But, according to Thomas, it is much easier for some smaller facilities to do this. Thus, they could become completely solar-powered and independent.

Cochin Airport will not stop here. It is now working on the expansion of its solar-power installation. This will help meet the increased energy demand which will come with the future building of a bigger international terminal. A new plant will hopefully be ready by the end of April.