Feature image: The PEER Platinum and LEED Platinum Terminal 1 at Bangalore International Airport, managed by BIAL.

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.

Night view of a large airport terminal and parking — The LEED Platinum Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Image courtesy of DIAL.

Indira Gandhi International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) is the busiest airport in India, hosting more than 70 million passengers a year. Much of that traffic travels through Terminal 3, which added 5.4 million square feet to IGI Airport when it was built in 2010. Managed by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Group, Terminal 3 became a testing ground for sustainability techniques.

Terminal 3 was awarded Platinum-level certification under LEED for Operations and Maintenance in 2018, using the Arc performance platform. A year later, the team turned their focus to the power systems that kept energy-intensive Terminal 3 operating smoothly. After all, the busiest airport in India can’t afford to have unreliable power. DIAL sought a tool that could help monitor, diagnose and improve upon the existing power system to prepare for power emergencies. In 2019, the work paid off: IGI Airport became the first airport in the world to achieve both LEED Platinum and PEER Platinum certifications.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work across the years to improve our energy efficiency,” explained Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL, in 2021. “How do we know if what we are doing is good enough? How do we measure against some of the best practices in the world? PEER was a good option because it has a very strong framework.”

Aerial view of a large solar array. — A vast solar array helps generate renewable energy. Image courtesy of DIAL.

“An airport is a 24-hour entity, so we can’t have power loss at any time,” agreed Roy Sebastian at the time. Sebastian is CEO of GMR Engineering & Management Services, which manages the power systems that run IGI Airport. To ensure Terminal 3 and its main receiving substation’s reliability, DIAL implemented redundant distribution systems and automated power restoration techniques. They installed a 7.8 MW solar PV system on-site to generate renewable energy.

Today, 76% of the project’s infrastructure is connected to an alternative source of power to keep the airport functioning in case of emergencies.

As many projects pursuing energy efficiency discover, this work accrues savings. Annually, DIAL has achieved energy savings of 2.3 million units, and a cost saving of $970,000 USD (INR 70 million) through its pursuit of LEED and PEER credits, which complement each other.

“It’s not just about energy efficiency; it’s about the bottom line,” said Jaipuriar of DIAL’s green certifications. “It actually helps me reduce my costs. It helps me improve the environment, the lives of the people who work at the airport and the lives of the passengers who come to the airport.”

Kempegowda International Airport

South of New Delhi by 1,200 miles, Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) is one of the fastest-growing airports in the world and the third busiest in India. Since its inception in 2008, BLR Airport has been operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).

As the gateway to Bengaluru, the “Garden City of India,” the BIAL team envisioned an airport that would honor the region’s connection to the environment. Early steps to manifest this vision included achieving Silver-level certification under LEED for Operations and Maintenance for the main terminal in 2012, building a rainwater harvesting system on-site, laying the groundwork for renewable energy and becoming a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact.

A lighted airport terminal in the twilight, with grassy areas in front. — The PEER Platinum and LEED Platinum Terminal 1 at Bangalore International Airport, managed by BIAL. Image courtesy of BIAL.

“We started with energy conservation—converting conventional lamps to LED, doing demand control for HVAC. We did all sorts of things,” reflected Lakshminarayanan S., senior vice president of BIAL. This included launching India’s first entirely LED-lit airfield and an on-site solar PV system that produced 6.8 megawatts of power. The airport also received 43 million units of off-site renewable energy through a power purchasing agreement. At the time of the PEER certification, 65% of its total energy requirement was met by renewables. Today, BLR Airport’s power is almost 100% renewably sourced.

“In addition to our renewables focus, all power distribution cables were undergrounded to protect from threats,” noted assistant vice president Sandeep Chaudhari, who implemented BIAL’s PEER initiatives. “Ninety-eight percent of the power network received distribution redundancy alongside auto-restoration technologies, smart metering systems and other techniques to keep the airport functioning in an emergency.”

Despite this commendable work, “We didn’t expect to achieve such a high score for our PEER certification,” Lakshminarayanan S. confessed. In addition to achieving 92 out of 100 possible points and earning the highest level of certification possible, BIAL’s energy conservation efforts and renewables installation led to significant annual savings: more than 46 kilotons of CO2 emissions eliminated and cost savings of $1.1 million USD (90 million INR), related to 14.7 million units (or kWh) of energy savings. Equally important to BIAL was its ability to achieve net energy neutrality in 2020.

An airport terminal on a sunny day, with palm trees and bushes in front. — The PEER Platinum and LEED Platinum Terminal 1 at Bangalore International Airport, managed by BIAL. Image courtesy of BIAL.

Envisioning the future of sustainability in airports

In both New Delhi and Bengaluru, the DIAL and BIAL teams have their eyes on a sustainable aviation industry, and they are setting the responsibility for that work squarely on their own shoulders.

BLR Airport opened a second terminal at the end of 2022 meant to evoke a “terminal in a garden.” It includes additional rooftop solar PV systems, natural building materials and 108,000 square feet of green walls, hanging gardens and outdoor gardens. It’s part of BIAL’s ambitious sustainability vision for 2030 centered on six key strategic pillars: water stewardship, net zero carbon emissions, community-aligned noise management, circular economy, sustainable procurement and sustainable mobility.

“Our entire approach is to embed ESG within the DNA of our organization's culture,” said Sridhar L., head of sustainability at BIAL. “Strategizing is one thing, but living up to that expectation is key. We will walk the walk.”

PEER-certified airports in India take flight with power resilience