The Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in Kerala has commissioned two floating solar power plants. CIAL became the world's first solar-powered airport in 2015.
With the installation of solar power plants with a capacity of 452 kWh over two artificial lakes, the airport's total installed capacity has increased to 40 MWp helping it to produce around 1.60 lakh units of power a day against per day consumption of around at 1.30 lakh units.
The company has introduced cost-effective high-density polyethylene floats, using French technology, upon which 1,300 photovoltaic (PV) 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 Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) power grid.
The pre-commissioning trials showed that these panels, which cost around Rs two crore to the company, were producing power with maximum output efficiency among eight solar power plants installed by CIAL at various locations in the airport premises.
The company 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 is used for irrigating the lawns of the golf course and now, with the installation of the solar power plants, it has leapt one more step forward in TSM.
The technical assistance for the project was provided by French company CIEL TERRA.
The airport aims to become the second largest power producer in the state after KSEB, adding a 12 MWp solar plant was being completed at Payyannur in Kannur district.