Flightpath. Sept 2013 | Page 20

20 Flightpath. » AIRPORTS INDIANAPOLIS FLYERS WELCOME THE SUN Construction of the largest planned airport-based solar farm in North America is ahead of schedule. Official construction began immediately following the March 2013 groundbreaking ceremony at the entrance to Indianapolis Airport. The 75-acre solar farm will generate annually more than 15 million kilowatt hours of electrical energy, enough to power more than 1,200 average American homes for a year. The $35-$40 million dollar alternative energy project is a significant public-private partnership including the Indianapolis Airport Authority, the City of Indianapolis and privately-held businesses GES, Telamon Corporation, Johnson Melloh Solutions, Cenergy Power and Indianapolis Power & Light. All entities involved are committed to finding creative solutions to increase sustainability in Indianapolis while helping diversify generation sources of electric power for Indianapolis business and residential customers. Once the solar array goes into operation in September 2013, it is expected to prevent around 10,700 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted each year. The airport’s economic impact in Central Indiana is more than $4.5 billion annually, and 10,000 people work at the airport each day. F. » AIRPORTS DUBAI AIRPORTS TO CUT CO2 WITH NEW BUILDING In line with the aviation industry’s long-term aim of carbon-neutral growth, Dubai Airports is working towards making Concourse D — which will become the new home of more than 100 airlines when it opens in 2015 — as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible. Among the initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the building is an array of 192 solar panels measuring 450m2 to be erected on the roof. This will have the dual benefit of generating power while keeping the building cool by reflecting sunlight. The solar array is expected to generate 2% of the total power requirement of Concourse D. The use of improved insulation in the construction of the building will help better regulate temperature within the concourse while thermal technology will be used to absorb sunlight in the day and radiate it during the night time hours. Construction of the new facility includes onsite recycling, reducing the amount of waste being disposed of at landfills. Recycled materials will also be used in construction and the design requires the use of more efficient lighting systems, which include daylight sensors and less heat-intensive lighting. This not only reduces the energy consumption of the building but cuts the amount of energy needed to cool. “Designing environmentally friendly terminals is key to limiting our energy consumption and carbon footprint over time and fits in with our broader environmental policy. It also supports our industry’s target of carbon-neutral growth by 2020,” said Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths. F. 1_Concourse A at Dubai International Airport. It will be joined by an energyefficient Concourse D in 2015. [DUBAI AIRPORTS]