The announcement of India’s ambition to achieve 100 gigawatts of Solar Power  by 2022 established our fervent commitment to the environment and energy conservation, something which becomes even more critical once we consider that the world has officially entered the age of the sixth mass extinction. The move now seems to have inspired the state of Kerala as the state capital’s international airport is set to become the country’s first fully solar powered airport.

A 12 MW Solar Powered plant will be inaugurated tomorrow, August 18, by Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy. The 45 acre wide land near the airport’s cargo terminal has 46,000 photovaltic (PV) solar panels, which can produce 50,000-60,000 units of electricity everyday. Along with the existing solar power setup at the airport, these will be sufficient for all of the airport’s operational functions, thereby making it India’s first fully solar-powered airport. The entire project cost Rs. 62 crore and took six months to be built.

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) had initially set up a 100 KW plant on the rooftop of the Arrival Terminal block in March 2013. The success of this plant made CIAL set up another 1 MW solar plant on the rooftop and ground at the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar.

The Cochin facility now joins its Asian counterparts such as the Kansai Aiport in Japan, which has 11.6 MW capacity and the 19 MW plant in Kuala Lampur Airport, Malaysia. The solar plant will help CIAL to reduce their carbon emission of 1.75 lakh metric tons over the next 25 years, which is the equivalent of planting 30 lakh trees.

Here’s hoping Cochin’s example inspires other airports, businesses and public transportation agencies to set up solar-powered functionalities.