Energy, emission, profitability, and sustainability analyses of a grid-connected solar power plant proposed in airport sites of Bangladesh: a case study

Nowadays, the aviation industry is one of the significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. An optimum solution to this concern is the substitution of conventional electricity consumption with clean energy sources. Barren lands are available in airport sites as buffer zones. These lands can be utilized to generate electricity from clean energy sources like solar, wind, and others. This study proposed a 5 MW grid-connected solar power plant at airport sites by utilizing the substantial barren area of the airport. The targeted airports for this study are Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, and Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Mathematical and simulation analyses have been performed for this purpose. Besides, sustainability analysis has also been incorporated for the grid-connected solar power plant. The energy efficiency varies from 18.74 to 7.79% for the Shah Amanat International Airport, and for the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, it ranges from 17.71 to 7.45%. Based on the project outcome, the revenue earned was 25% higher if the total cost was invested in power plants rather than keeping it in the bank as a deposit. On the other hand, emission analysis presented that a gross reduction of 3827.5 tons of CO 2 /MWh can be achieved from the Shah Amanat International Airport, while 3926 tons of CO 2 /MWh can be removed from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Based on the sustainability analysis, the energy depletion ratio for Shahjalal Airport varies from 0.82 to 0.93, while for Shah Amanat Airport, it is in the range of 0.81 and 0.92. The findings of this study suggested that investment in grid-connected solar power plants is economically viable and environmentally benign.