This Airport Becomes India’s 1st To Run 100% On Solar, Hydro Power!

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is now the first airport in India to operate on green energy. 

The airport operates on hydro and solar power for its consumption needs. 

Delhi’s IGI Airport Becomes First Indian Airport To Operate On Green Energy

The airport’s switch to green energy has begun on June 1, as per operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

The Cochin International Airport in Kerala made history in 2015 when it became the first airport in the world to run entirely on solar power. While they use a combination of hydro and solar power, according to DIAL, a sizable portion of this is now hydro-dependent. 

According to DIAL, this is a step toward the airport’s objective of being a “Net Zero Carbon Emissions Airport” by the year 2030.

Since June 1, about 6% of the airport’s electrical needs have been satisfied by on-site solar power plants, with a hydroelectric plant providing the other 94% of the energy, according to the statement.

As per a DIAL spokesperson, “The solar plants are on the airside and roofs of the cargo terminals of the IGI airport. For hydropower, DIAL has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a Himachal Pradesh-based hydropower producing company for the supply of hydroelectricity to the airport until 2036.”

IGI Airport Reduces Annual Energy Emissions by 2 Lakh Tonnes 

The Delhi airport has a 7.84 MW solar power plant on the airside, and lately, as part of a stakeholder engagement, it constructed an additional 5.3 MW rooftop solar power plant at the cargo terminal.

According to the operator, switching to renewable energy should enable the airport to cut its annual energy emissions by 2 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide. The airport had declared its intention to become a Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by the year 2030 last year in November.

As per recent reports, for the fourth time in a row, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport has been declared the best/finest airport in not just India but also in South Asia.

It is also the only airport in India to be featured in the top 50 best airports across the world, being stated as the ‘cleanest airport’, as per the Skytrax World Airport Awards report.