The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi has switched to hydro and solar power for its electricity needs as of June 1, making it India’s first airport to run entirely on a combination of these forms of green energy, according to the airport’s operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
Last November, the airport has stated that it plans to become a ‘Net Zero Carbon Emission’ airport by 2030. The switch to clean energy is part of its efforts to reach the objective.
While the airport uses a combination of hydro and solar electricity, a large portion of the power is hydro reliant, DIAL explained. Around 6% of the airport’s electrical needs have been fulfilled by on-site solar power plants, with the other 94% coming from a hydroelectric plant.
The solar plants are located on the airside and roofs of the IGI airport’s cargo terminals. On top of this, DIAL has inked a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a Himachal Pradesh-based hydropower generating business for the provision of hydroelectricity to the airport until 2036, according to DIAL’s spokesperson.
The Delhi airport features a 7.84 MW solar power plant on the airside, and it recently constructed a 5.3 MW rooftop solar power plant at the cargo terminal. The airport’s move toward renewable energy is estimated to help it reduce energy emissions by 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar remarked that the company has worked relentlessly toward environmental sustainability and has established a goal of being a Net Zero Carbon Emission airport by 2030, well ahead of the worldwide objective of 2050.
To achieve this goal, DIAL recently implemented a green mobility program and has already reached another milestone in the green energy program for IGI airport. The Delhi airport has long used solar power, and it currently gets the majority of its electricity from a hydroelectric facility, he added.
Green buildings, green mobility measures such as electric cars, improved operational efficiency to minimize emissions, and greenhouse gas management are among the various green activities at the airport as part of the Airport Council International’s (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation.
In addition, the Delhi airport became the first in the Asia-Pacific region to receive ‘Level 4+’ accreditation under ACI’s airport carbon accreditation program in 2020.
