The UK’s largest solar company Solarcentury has reportedly announced to have inked a deal with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to install an approximately 500-kilowatt solar system at Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Kenya.
Reportedly, the construction and installation of the photovoltaic system is projected to take 10 months and the system would produce solar electricity by 2019. Sources claim that the new project would establish Moi International Airport as the first airport in East Africa to have a solar photovoltaic system.
According to a recent press release, the company would install airport gate electrification equipment comprising of an electric 400 Hz Ground Power Unit (GPU) converter and a mobile electric-powered pre-conditioned air (PCA) unit. The equipment would also include a huge battery storage which will provide uninterrupted power to the GPU and PCA while usage.
The photovoltaic system would offset 1,300 tons of carbon dioxide per annum and produce 820,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually.
Managing Director of the Kenya Airports Authority, Jonny Anderson was reportedly quoted stating that the reduction in carbon emissions and the expected savings on electricity would contribute toward the efficient day-to-day operations of Moi International Airport.
The new solar installation project is part of an initiative being implemented by the ICAO and funded by the European Union. The 6.5 million-euro initiative is focusing on 14 nations with an objective to lower carbon dioxide emissions in the aviation sector, cite sources.
Hawaii’s Department of Transportation had announced in July that it would deploy 4,260 new solar panels in the photovoltaic system at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.
For the record, Cochin International Airport in the Indian state of Kerala is regarded as the world’s first airport to be fully powered by solar energy. Reportedly, the airport has over 46,100 solar panels installed in its photovoltaic system.