Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR), has been awarded the Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) Platinum certification by Green Building Certification (GBCI), the building design, construction and operations sustainability authority.
PEER is a certification program that measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure by providing a framework to ensure grid resilience for critical infrastructures such as hospitals, transit systems, airports and utilities.
For its sustainable airport power infrastructure, BIAL scored 92/100. Overall, renewable energy and energy conservation measures that prioritize sustainable, efficient power have helped the airport save Rs84m (US$1.2m) and 14,700,000kWh of energy, and mitigate approximately 46kt of CO2 emissions annually. Nearly 98% of the project’s distribution circuit is protected with distribution redundancy and auto restoration. It also has a 6.8MW on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) system that supports essential services during grid failure and long-term blackout and 100% of its energy mix comes from renewable energy.
BIAL has also implemented energy conservation programs such as the replacement of all compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) halogen lights with LED fixtures and programmable logic controllers (PLC) based on a terminal light automation system (TLA) to monitor and minimize the energy consumption of terminal lights. Additionally, BIAL installed a chiller plant optimizer (CPO) solution to monitor the operation and optimize the chiller plant’s performance under various load conditions.
Hari Marar, managing director and CEO of BIAL, said, “We are proud to receive this recognition from GBCI for our relentless efforts in the energy conservation and energy resilience domain. As the operator of a world-class airport, BIAL has undertaken a variety of steps to deploy on-site renewable energy generation systems, off-site renewable power procurement, to meet our long-term goal of becoming net energy neutral in 2020-21. Certified with PEER Platinum rating will only motivate us to keep fast-tracking our sustainability journey, even as we keep enhancing our infrastructure to meet the ever-increasing air transportation needs of passengers.”
Mili Majumdar, managing director of GBCI India, said, “The Bangalore International Airport is an excellent example of how buildings and organizations can work together to achieve sustainability. At GBCI, we often say – the greenest building is the one that is already built. It can take up to 80 years to make up for the impact of demolishing an existing building and replacing it with a new one, even if the new building is extremely energy efficient. Existing buildings will be critical to decarbonization efforts, as buildings account for nearly 40% of all carbon emissions. GBCI India is committed to working with developers, manufacturers, as well as small and medium enterprises to advance the greening of existing buildings. The Bangalore International Airport has excelled in its dedication to sustainable development. We would like to congratulate Bangalore International Airport on achieving its PEER Platinum certification and urge other existing airports to consider going green.”