First fully solar powered airport?

This accolade was achieved following the installation of a new 12 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar power plant on August 18 this year, comprising 46,150 solar panels on a 45 acre site near the cargo complex. The 48,000 units (KWh) of electricity generated each day by this plant, combined with the existing solar plants already installed at the airport, are expected to yield an output of some 50,000 to 60,000 units daily; enough to cover all power requirements. The surplus electricity will be fed back into Kerala state's power grid to be utilised at a later point when needed, such as during the night.

The ongoing project saw CIAL's first solar plant, producing 100kWp, installed in March 2013 on the roof of the arrival terminal, followed later by an additional 1MWp plant. In the running for second place for solar sustainability is Alice Springs airport in Australia, which announced an A$1.9m (US$1.3m) project to develop one of the largest airport solar systems in the country.

According to airport spokespeople for CIAL, the 18m units produced annually from solar energy is enough to power 10,000 homes per year and will prevent over 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next 25 years.