Who are the project partners?
- Indianapolis Airport Authority (land owner)
- General Energy Solutions USA (Phase I owner)
- Washington Gas (Phase II owner)
- CENERGY Power (EPC contractor – engineering, procurement, construction)
- Johnson Melloh Solutions (developer & Phase III owner)
- Telamon Corporation (developer)
- Indianapolis Power & Light Company (utility off-taker)
How much energy is created by the solar farm?
The solar farm creates 20 megawatts AC (25 megawatts DC). It has the capacity to annually produce 36.1 million kilowatt hours of electric energy, which is the equivalent of powering approximately 3,650 average-sized American homes.
How many solar panels is the solar farm comprised of?
87,488
How large is the farm and where is it located?
The solar farm encompasses 183 acres and is located on both the east and west sides of the terminal near the entrance to the Indianapolis International Airport.
How long did the solar farm take to build?
Seven months for Phase I. Construction began in March 2013 and concluded in September 2013.
Twelve months for Phase II/III. Construction began in August 2014 and concluded in August 2015.
Who manufactures the solar panels?
General Energy Solutions USA & Sharp
Where does the solar energy go?
The solar energy produced is sold to Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) through a 15-year power purchase program and feeds into the grid of existing surface transmission lines that connect the airport terminal to the IPL substation west of the airport.
How were the panels installed?
For Phase I, the panels were installed on fixed ground-mounted racking systems.
For Phase II/III, the panels were installed on ground-mounted tracker systems which are oriented towards the sun to maximize energy output.
Are there any issues with reflectivity or glare?
No, the airport & the developers worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and conducted rigorous analyses to confirm that reflectivity or glare would not pose a problem for either the Air Traffic Control Tower or approaching aircraft.
Who invented solar technology and its applications?
French physicist Edmund Becquerel first reported the photovoltaic effect in 1839 at the age of 19. He observed that when light was shone on a solid electrode immersed in an electrolyte solution, an electrical current was produced.
What is a solar panel comprised of?
The solar cells in the solar panels are made up of silicon. Silicon is predominantly prominent in sand.
What is a photovoltaic solar panel?
It is a solar panel that generates electrical power by converting solar radiation into electricity. In 2004, photovoltaic (PV) capacity passed wind as the fasting growing renewable energy source, and in 2011 produced a worldwide capacity of 67,000 megawatts.
What is solar energy?
Radiant light and heat from the sun
What is solar power?
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaics convert light into electric current using the photoelectric effect..