Vikram Solar equips Indian airports with solar power
Vikram Solar has successfully commissioned two more rooftop solar plants at international airports in India. Following the completion of the first rooftop installation at Cochin International Airport in Kerala, now completely powered by solar energy in March this year, further projects were carried out at Calicut International Airport, also located in Kerala, and at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, West Bengal. The capacity at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is 2 MWp, while the capacity of the plant at Calicut International Airport in Kerala is 750 kWp. Vikram Solar was responsible for the design, engineering, procurement, supply, construction, installation and commissioning for all three airport projects. For the new projects, Vikram Solar has also been entrusted with overseeing the operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the plants under two-year contracts.
The new project at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata consists of three separate installations: 180 kWp on the Operations Building, 572 kWp on the Cargo & APEDA building, and 1,248 kWp on the domestic building. It is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by around 2,037 Mt each year. According to calculations, the solar rooftop plant at Calicut International Airport in Kerala is predicted to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 823 Mt each year.
"Kolkata airport is one of the first few airports in the country to get solarised. We are proud to showcase the biggest airport rooftop installation in the country. Vikram Solar were entrusted to execute this prestigious project and they have successfully completed it. The 2 MWp grid connected rooftop solar plant is set to create benchmark by generating 2800 Mwh of solar energy in its first year of operation. It is expected to garner monetary benefit of approx. Rs. 2.15 cr. per annum through net metering with CESC besides earning carbon credit for green energy generation," said Mr. A.K. Sharma, Airport Director, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.
Mr. Gyanesh Chaudhary, CEO and Managing Director, Vikram Solar, said: "With ever-increasing energy requirements, our country currently is a huge importer of conventional energy. A revolutionary shift to alternative sources is therefore the need of the hour. With an aim to make solar energy more accessible, viable and efficient, Vikram Solar deploys world - class technology to design, install and commission benchmark solar projects worldwide. Our power plants are a testimony of our commitment towards the environment."
The solar plants are built using 260 Wp polycrystalline PV modules from Vikram Solar's high-efficiency ELDORA Prime Silver series. At the International Airport in Kolkata, a total of 7848 nos. of modules spread over three building rooftops and thirty-three 50 kW string inverters along with one 30 kW string inverter were used for the installation. The installation at Calicut International Airport in Kerala comprises a total of 2,886 modules spread over an area of approximately 7,120 square metres.
Kuldeep Jain, COO, Vikram Solar further added: "Our highly skilled and dedicated EPC team ensured the completion of the rooftop solar plants from concept to commissioning stage. We have ensured quality at every step of execution resulting in substantial tax benefits and end-user savings, while considerably lowering the carbon footprint. The plants have been set up using best-in-class technology which include advanced monitoring systems, latest cost effective earthing & lightning protection systems, and other safety features making them safe and effective for International airports."
