Adding another green milestone to GMR’s clean energy journey, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has commissioned a 5 MW Solar Power Plant for its captive consumption at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad.
Situated close to the airport access road, the solar power plant has started generating around 25000 units/day of pollution free energy and meeting the airport’s peak power demand during day-time.
Commenting on this green development, GHIAL CEO SGK Kishore said, “Hyderabad Airport, like other group companies of GMR, is committed towards generating renewable energy. As a part of this commitment, we have commissioned a 5 MW captive Solar Power Plant. This is also in alignment with the Government’s Solar vision and the recently announced initiative by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to have solar-powered airports. We also have plans to go for another 7MW solar power plant as part of our Energy Neutral objective.”
The solar power plant has over 16,000 modules of solar panels, each having a fixed tilt for maximum sun exposure. These modules are based on Poly Crystalline technology, which is among the most efficient technology available currently. The plant is equipped with an advanced SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, through which remote monitoring is carried out. This is a grid connected system for the captive use of the Airport.
The green energy, thus produced by this 5 MW solar plant, is equivalent to meeting daily electricity requirement for about 4800 homes. The solar plant has also eliminated approx. 20 metric Tonnes of carbon emissions every day (approx. 7100 metric tons in a year). The energy, thus produced, also translates into conservation of natural resources by avoiding consumption of 12 Tonnes of coal and 76800 litres of water per day when compared to thermal electricity production. Further, this is also equivalent to planting more than 19 Lac trees in terms of absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. (INN)