There is an old adage which says that the first step is the most important step of a long journey. It was a big step to make the World’s first solar powered Airport in India. Yes you read it correctly that the world’s first fully solar dependent Airport is the Cochin International Airport. A few years ago it was a moot point that whether Cochin Airport should function on PPP(Public-Private partnership) and after a few formalities Cochin Airport became the first in India to function on PPP model and the results are in front of everyone as it has achieved 100% solar dependent airport in the world. It all started around three years ago when the Mangers at the airport authority were tired of the electricity expense, then they decided to think of alternative source of energy. Initially they put a few solar panels on the roof of the arrivals terminal and saw that the results were astonishing. Cochin International airport authority in 2015 invited the German brand Bosch to help in this initiative and Bosch made a solar plant covering the area of around 45 acre near the terminal which became fully functional in august 2016 and made Cochin the first fully solar powered airport in the world.

The solar energy has huge potential if it is harnessed properly. As per the reports by Science it is said that Earth receives 174,000 Terawatt (TW) of energy from solar radiations every year. If still you are confused about its power then if we combine all the energy which would ever be generated from all the sources like coal, Natural gas, Oil or uranium then Solar energy that Earth receives in one year is twice of that energy . The cost of Cochin Airport was around $9.3 Million and which would take around 6 years to break even with that amount. The Cochin airport model is a big example that its high time that we should look for alternate options for energy as the Earth is losing its resources rapidly. The solar panel technology has also improved and the prices of solar panel has gone down and its high time that we start installing these for household purposes as well.

Himanshuy.