UK Newspaper, The Independent, recently reported that George Airport in South Africa was a leader on the continent after becoming the first solar powered facility of its kind in Africa. The following story looks into the viability of this model for other airports in the country:

George Airport is powered by a nearby solar generator. This has enabled check-in desks, baggage carousels and control towers to run normally using renewable energy.

The airport requires roughly 400 kW of energy to run at an optimal level, however its 2,000 solar panels can produce up to 750 kW of energy per day and this excess is used to supply over 250 homes in the surrounding areas.

George Airport: facts and figures

• George Airport is the second facility in the world (after Cochin International Airport in Kerala, India) to operate completely on solar-generated power.
• Approximately 700,000 passengers use the airport on a daily basis
• The airport has reduced its carbon emissions by 1,299 tons since 2015
• The airport uses electricity from the national power grid at night or on rainy days

Airports Company South Africa runs the project. The company said it hoped to achieve “carbon neutrality”, or zero carbon emissions by 2030, and intended to roll out the blueprint for George Airport in hubs across the country.

The weather in George is highly unpredictable which makes it the perfect test subject according to the company.

The airport’s maintenance director, Marclen Stallenberg sai the thinking behind the project “was if we put (the solar system) in the worst unpredictable weather, it will absolutely work in any other airport in the country.”

Airports in Kimberley and Upington are also in the process of adopting solar technology, with three other regional airports intending to do the same.

To find out about other continent and world leading solar facilities, attend the Power & Electricity World Africa 2017 exhibit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 28 to 29 March 2017.