Green Energy Supply Analysis to Sustainable Inland Water Tourism Regions in Eco-Friendly Cities

Introduction

Tourism resorts and hotels being the key players in this tourist sector play a crucial role and with their sprawling infrastructures and high energy consumption, they are continuously contributing to environmental degradation. Resorts and hotels are mainly dependent on traditional energy sources, i.e., energy generated using fossil fuels which not only leads to the depletion of fossil fuels but also leads to the emission of greenhouse gases which in turn contributes to environment pollution resulting in climate change which consecutively leads to decrease in tourists. Thus affecting the overall economy of that particular place. This research endeavors to analyze case study of a tourist village in Kottayam district of Kerala called “Kumarakom”, which attracts many visitors across the world mainly for natural beauty and pure environment. Some of its tourist attraction includes backwaters, bird sanctuary, Vembanad Lake, temples and a perfect village life experience in the lap of nature. It is a small village covering an area of 54.05 square kilometers with a population of 24,722 with a power requirement of 35 Megawatt. Tourism acts as an economical backbone for the village. Agriculture and rubber industry also plays a crucial role in the economy. The resorts in Kumarakom are focused on making carbon neutral which means maintaining a balance between emission and absorption of carbon. Keeping this idea in mind, a power plant is designed in Kochi using solar and wind energy because these people are mainly engrossed in renewable energy sources. At first the block diagram of the plant using HOMER pro software is made and the required data is manipulated for desired output. This case study not only highlights the advantages of sustainable practices but also encourages the practice of other reforms in that area. In conclusion, as tourism industry is growing immensely in recent era and keeping the idea of green energy in our mind, integration of renewable energy sources in resorts emerges as a pivotal strategy for adopting sustainability. This research throws light on the benefits, challenges and real world applications of harnessing renewable energy and hope to inspire others for environmentally conscious practices within the tourism sector aiming for the preservation of our planet.