Leh airport ACs to run on solar power

New Delhi: Passengers at Leh airport — one of the world’s highest airfields at 10,682-feet above sea level — will soon be basking in the warmth of solar airconditioning. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is going to install solar panels on the roof of the new terminal that will be used to generate about 100kw and use that to heat up water.
This heated water-chemical mix will be circulated through coils in air handling units where big fans will be installed. Like a normal AC, the air will get heated after passing through the coils with hot water and help keep the terminal temperature comfortably high in the cold desert capital’s airport.
The Rs 5 crore green project is likely to be ready in next two years. “Currently we use electric and diesel-powered boilers. But in winters hydro electricity almost dries up in Kashmir and we face outages. The solar-powered system will help us reduce dependence on conventional power. But a back up will be kept to heat up the liquid to required level for comfortable heating,” said an official.
The AAI is also going to store energy by having batteries charged with the solar power and use them at night. The cycle of charging-using-recharging is expected to lead to some insulation from frequent power cuts.
04/06/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2010, New Jun 2010