Cochin International Airport Commissions Floating Solar Plant

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has successfully commissioned one of the biggest floating solar plants in the state of Kerala.

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has announced that it has successfully commissioned one of the biggest floating solar plants in the state of Kerala. The 452-kilowatt hour (KWh) solar plant has been installed with the objective to further aid the airport in becoming sustainable by using green energy generated by the plant.

With this installation, the total installed solar capacity of the airport has become 40 MWp helping it in generating around 1.60 lakh units of power a day whereby the daily consumption stands around 1.30 lakh units.

In a press statement, it stated that CIAL’s trysts with the experiments in producing green energy achieved another milestone with this installation as the company has introduced cost-effective high-density polyethylene floats; using French technology, upon which 1300 photovoltaic panels were mounted and laid over two artificial lakes located in the 130-acre CIAL golf course. The plants covering a total area of one acre are connected to the KSEB power grid which is to be banked when needed.

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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 carbon footprints.” 

Traditionally, the installation of the floating solar power plant costs two to three times more than that of the ground-mounted one; but with the inception of the novel technology; that too first time in the country, it could bring down the cost at par with that of floor installation. The technical assistance was provided by a French company Ciel et Terre.

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CIAL has also 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.