Colombia. Bogota's El Dorado Airport will have the largest photovoltaic installation in Latin America with the installation of more than 10,000 solar panels, which will generate around 12% of the energy consumption of the air terminal.
With a conversation chaired by the Minister of Mines and Energy, María Fernanda Suárez, and the Minister of Transport, Ángela María Orozco, in the company of Ricardo Sierra, president of Celsia; Mauricio Ossa, president of Odinsa and, Álvaro González, manager of Opain formally announced the start of the project that will enter into operation in the first quarter of 2019 and the first solar panel of the Airport was symbolically signed.
The system that began its installation at El Dorado airport will have 10,369 solar panels, which correspond to 27,000 m2 of area, the size of more than 20 Olympic swimming pools. The generation capacity will be 2,800 kWp and the annual energy production of 3,800,000 kWh, equivalent to the energy consumed by 1,500 homes. For this project, multiple investigations and evaluations were carried out, which have the endorsement of the Civil Aeronautics for its execution.
Since 2016, both companies have been working together on this plan, which is part of the best sustainability practices in the sector: energy efficiency and environmental impact.
"This installation is the most emblematic photovoltaic project in airports in Latin America, and it is also the reflection of a joint vision of sustainability that begins at El Dorado airport and will transcend the other projects in which we work. It is satisfying to be able to measure the scope of this alliance and the positive environmental impact it promotes. In a few months El Dorado will be able to generate an estimated 12% of the energy consumption of the air terminal," said Mauricio Ossa, president of Odinsa.
For Ricardo Sierra, leader of Celsia: "We are very excited to be able to bring solar energy and a series of additional benefits in energy efficiency to the main airport in the country. It has been a project with great challenges from the beginning, especially for the issues of aeronautical safety, so it is a technically very advanced process. Advancing this project with Odinsa, a company like us subsidiary of Grupo Argos, is another step in the clarity of the organization to take advantage of all synergies for the benefit of our customers."
With the implementation of this initiative, 1,375 tons of CO2 will no longer be emitted, which would be equivalent to the oxygen emitted by 76,000 mature trees. Other relevant aspects that impact in environmental terms are: the generation of lower temperature in the terminal, thanks to the panels located on the roof, making it more efficient in its energy consumption, and that the materials used in the panels are recyclable, which contributes to the reduction of the carbon footprint.
Source: El Dorado.
