The second phase expansion of the IND Solar Farm at Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is now fully operational.
Comprising 32,100 solar panels on trackers, this phase will produce more than 15.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power more than 1,410 average American households.
IND Solar Farm is not only the largest solar power project in Indianapolis currently, it’s claimed to be the largest project in the world at an airport to date.
Phase 1 of IND Solar Farm, a 12 MW project consisting of more than 44,000 solar panels, was completed in October last year.
The two projects combined are expected to generate more than 31.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually,
“The IND Solar Farm is a symbol of sustainability and new economic development for Central Indiana,” said Michael Wells, president of the IAA board of directors. “Not only has it become a part of the IND landscape – it now also helps drive significant revenue for the economy that once was just unused land.”
Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) is purchasing the power produced by the solar farm through a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Electricity is exported to the mains grid via existing surface transmission lines that connect the airport terminal to the IPL substation west of the airport.
The project has been constructed in a partnership between Telamon Corporation, Johnson Melloh Solutions, Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA), the City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) and General Energy Solutions (GES). The partners worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure glare would not cause issues for the air traffic control tower or approaching aircraft.
Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, said the solar project played a significant role in the facility being named one of America’s greenest.
In 2011, Indianapolis International Airport was the first airport to win Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for an entire terminal campus. IAA also has various environmental management, conservation management, and wildlife management programs in place.
In 2013, Indianapolis International Airport served about 7.2 million domestic and international passengers and it’s the USA’s the nation’s eighth largest cargo facility.
