BIAL unveils 3.35 MW rooftop solar power plant

Feb 7, 2019: Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) – operator of the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) – inaugurated its rooftop solar power project. This solar plant will generate 3.35 MW of power for BLR airport and an annual solar generation of around 4.7 million units.

The plant is installed across 8 rooftops within the airport premises at Menzies Bobba, Air India SATS, Coolport and several BIAL office buildings. It is expected to generate around 47 lakh units of clean electricity every year and will contribute to reduce 3,800 tonnes of CO2 emission annually. The contemporary design of the solar panels ensure that the glare of the sun is not reflected, thus avoiding any visibility intrusions in aircraft operations. Sunshot’s engineering team has ensured that the solar structure is lightweight, leak proof, corrosion free and can withstand high wind conditions with ease.

Speaking at the event, Lakshminarayanan S, vice president engineering and maintenance, BIAL said, “As a role model for sustainable progress, the BLR Airport is well on course towards achieving its goal of becoming 100 percent powered by renewable energy by 2020. To that end, these solar projects will help BIAL reduce the carbon footprint and achieve energy neutrality. The Airport’s consumption from solar power stands at 50 million units through on-site and off-site solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to meet 67 percent of its annual energy requirements.”

Rahul Dasari, MD & CEO, Sunshot said, “We are proud to be a part of BIAL’s sustainable initiative and this is one of the most prestigious and complex project Sunshot has executed. Multiple roof types, roof orientation and being a high security zone made this a challenging project for Sunshot, which I am glad our team could execute as per world class quality, safety standards and within the stipulated timelines. We have used high efficiency Mono PERC Modules which provide approximately 14 percent higher electricity generation in the given space. High performance multi MPPT inverters, quality structures from PVFix and Sunshot’s state-of-the-art, cloud-based energy management (IoT) system for real time performance monitoring of the plant – are some of the salient features.”

BIAL’s solar project was commissioned across two phases. During the first phase in 2017, 503 KW of rooftop solar, 2.5 MW of ground mounted solar and 425 KW of car parking solar power installations were undertaken. During the second phase, in addition to the 3.35 MW installation by Sunshot, BIAL purchased 20 MUs of solar power through open access from Bosch plant of capacity 14.4 MWp solar power plant commissioned at Belgavi. In addition, BIAL has also purchased 20 MUs of solar power through open access from Cleanmax.

BIAL has adopted a holistic approach and sustainability principles to ensure integrity of economic viability, operational excellence, conservation of natural resources and social sustainability.

As a leader in sustainability, BIAL aims to ensure that the Airport environment works towards the highest adherence of sustainable energy management. The street lights, perimeter lighting and airfield lights have been converted to LEDs, thereby reducing dependency on non-renewable energy. The projected energy generation from the solid waste management plant (to be launched in 2019) at BLR Airport has the potential to power 5,000 households per year and produce 1.5 million kgs of compost annually. BIAL has achieved 3+ Carbon Neutrality - the highest level of environmental impact achievement for airports.