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Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in India has just accomplished a seriously impressive feat; it now generates all the power it needs to run from the sun. Thanks to 46,150 panels over 45 acres of space, the airport is the first in the world to generate more power than it actually consumes.
CIAL started down the road to power self-sufficiency back in 2013 with a 100 kWp solar plant placed on the top of one of its terminals. Since then, the project has scaled up considerable to the 12 MWp solar power plant inaugurated yesterday. Over the next 25 years, the airport should be able to prevent the production of some 300,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of planting 3 million trees, according to a press release.
But while CIAL generates all the power it requires, it's not actually self-sufficient. Instead of having some sort of impossibly huge battery, it's hooked up to the local power grid and pulls energy from there when it needs to, like during the middle of the night. But while it still relies on the traditional power infrastructure, it uses its solar power to pay back every drop of energy it takes.
This isn't the only ambitious solar power project in India. The country is also in the process of installing solar-panel roofs over nearly 12,000 miles of canals, a project that will not only generate energy, but also prevent the evaporation of some 90 million gallons of water. At this rate it won't be long until the only thing in India not covered in solar panels are the solar panels.
