Feature image: The PEER Platinum and LEED Platinum Terminal 1 at Bangalore International Airport, managed by BIAL. Image credit: Bangalore International Airport Limited.
This article was originally posted on April 25, 2023, on USGBC+ as "PEER-certified airports in India take flight with power resilience." Read the full article.
Aviation accounted for 2.4% of our global carbon emissions in 2018. If global commercial aviation had been a country in the 2019 national greenhouse gas emissions standings, the industry would rank number six in the world, between Japan and Germany. Amid this complex environmental challenge, one branch of the aviation industry has become the sustainability frontrunner: airports.
These travel hubs are 24/7 operations with energy-intensive needs. They have a direct impact on millions of travelers’ and employees’ health and schedules, as well as on the communities that surround them. Airports have rallied in recent years to reduce environmental impact, improve efficiency and create better visitor experiences. There are hundreds of LEED-certified airport projects worldwide, from the recent LEED Gold Kansas City International Airport in Missouri to Istanbul Airport in Turkey—also LEED Gold and covering 15 million square feet of space.
In India, two airports have been laser-focused on shifting their environmental impact toward the positive end of the spectrum. Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, and Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, are both Airport Carbon Accredited facilities for their carbon reduction efforts and feature LEED-certified terminal buildings. They both went a step further, as well: certifying their power systems through PEER to improve efficiency and build resilience.
Modeled after LEED and administered by GBCI, PEER certification measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure. PEER helps utilities solve aging infrastructure issues, find cost savings, share best practices, build for resilience, and enhance tracking to determine and prevent failures.