Kochi Airport, World's First To Fully Run On Solar Power, Now Adds A New Floating Solar Plant

The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) which created history by becoming the first airport in the world to run fully on solar energy has commissioned one of the biggest floating solar power plants in the state with a capacity of 452-kilowatt hour (KWh).

According to CIAL, with this, the total installed capacity of the airport has increased to 40 MWp, helping it produce around 1.6 lakh units of power a day, against its daily consumption of nearly 1.3 lakh units.

The floating solar plants were installed in two artificial lakes located in the 130-acre CIAL golf course and use French technology which mounted 1300 photovoltaic panels for the best cost effective power generation.

Milestone achieved

¡°The airport also achieved another milestone with this installation, that of introducing cost-effective high-density polyethylene floats, using French technology, on which 1,300 photovoltaic panels were mounted and laid over two artificial lakes located on the 130-acre CIAL golf course,¡± CIAL said in a statement.

CIAL

The plants covering a total area of one acre are connected to the KSEB power grid which is to be banked when needed.

The pre-commissioning trials showed that these panels which cost around Rs.2 crores to the company are producing power with maximum output efficiency among the eight solar power plants installed by CIAL at various locations in the airport premises. VJ Kurian, founder managing director, CIAL, attributed the success of the plant to the company¡¯s relentless efforts in bringing in new technologies and its working philosophy which is at par with global standards.

¡°CIAL has been reinventing itself since its formative days. One of our innovations which proved that relying upon green energy is possible even for the high energy consumers like an airport has won us the champions of the earth award instituted by the United Nations. We are committed to the protection of nature and trying our best to reduce the carbon footprints¡±Kurian added.

BCCL

CIAL successfully executed the idea of total sustainability management (TSM) in its golf course where treated water from the sewage treatment plant of the airport is used for water harvesting with the help of 12 artificial lakes. The water from these lakes are used for irrigating the lawns of the golf course and now, with the installation of the floating power plants, it has leapt one more step forward in TSM.

BCCL

Traditionally, the installation of the floating power plant costs two to three times more than that of the ground-mounted one; but with the inception of the novel French technology; that too first time in the country, it could bring down the cost at par with that of floor installation. CIAL aims to become the second largest power producer in the state after KSEB. A 12 MWp plant is being completed at Payyannur, Kannur.

In 2015, Kochi Airport had become the first in the world to fully run on solar power. It had also acted as a role model for other airports in India and abroad to switch to green energy.