George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is on the green track to reduce emissions by up to 60 percent.

The Houston Airport System (HAS) received $8.8 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to install new state-of-the-art equipment at the city’s largest airport.

The two grants awarded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) will allow the purchase and installation of new solar panels, heaters and chillers in the airport’s central operating plant which controls the air conditioning and heating in all five airport terminals.

These upgrades will replace the outdated gas-powered steam generation system currently used in the facility.

“This meets two of our major goals as we continue to improve our airport system - operating more efficiently, and with significantly reduced emissions,” said Mayor White. “These benefits don’t stop at the end of the runways.”

One of the grants is a $5 million contribution from the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program, a nationally competitive initiative designed to reduce airport ground emissions at commercial service airports located in regions of the country with higher than normal pollution levels, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The project allows airports to use grants to finance low-emission vehicles, refueling and recharging stations, gate electrification and other airport air quality improvements. Currently the entire Sedan/SUV fleet at HAS is composed of hybrids and more than half of them were purchased with VALE grants.