National —
The Airports of Thailand (AoT) is planning to shift to 100% solar panel usage at all airports within the next four years to address the rising electricity costs, said AoT President Kirati Kitmanawat.
He said the solar panel installation had already started at the sides of the runway and water storage areas around Suvarnabhumi Airport, but they are not yet operational.
Suvarnabhumi has enough space to install solar panels in order to generate electricity for all passenger buildings. The other five airports of AoT will also shift to 100% solar panel usage within the next 4 years, he said.
“5-megawatt solar panels have already been installed on the roof of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Installing solar panels is a good thing because it helps save air conditioning. Many foreign airports have also started to do this because it is a global trend. In the past, we paid 100 million baht on electricity expenses, but with the solar panels, we now expect to only pay 70-80% of that amount” Kriti said.
In addition to this, the AoT will change all vehicles in the airports to electric vehicles because more than 80% of passengers using the airports’ buses complained about its exhaust fumes, according to AoT president.
The Pattaya News notes that AOT manages and operates international airport services in Thailand and has six International airports under their responsibility namely Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang International Airport, Chiang Mai International Airport, Hat Yai International Airport, Phuket International Airport, and Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport.
Just yesterday a TPN reader asked about solar energy in Thailand in our reader feedback series here.
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