IND Solar Farm Expansion Commissioned
December 22nd, 2014 | Posted in News
The IND Solar Farm project partners are pleased to announce that the second phase expansion of the IND Solar Farm at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is now fully operational.
The 7.5MW AC, 86-acre solar farm is comprised of 32,100 sun-tracking panels, which will annually produce more than 15.2 million kilowatt hours of electric energy, enough to power more than 1,410 average American homes for a year. Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) purchases the power produced by the solar farm, which is then distributed to its residential and commercial customers.
“The Indianapolis Airport Authority is extremely proud to be a partner in this initiative. The IND Solar Farm is a symbol of sustainability and new economic development for Central Indiana. 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,” said Michael Wells, president of the Indianapolis Airport Authority board of directors.
“The airport could not be more thrilled to have the largest airport-based solar farm right here in our growing city of Indianapolis,” said Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. “The solar farm not only enhances our environmentally friendly and energy efficient terminal campus but also played a huge role in our recent recognition of being named one of America’s greenest airports.”
“IND is now home to over 76,000 photovoltaic solar panels producing renewable energy to Indiana customers. It is an iconic structure that symbolizes how renewable energy in this country is affordable and reliable,” said Kurt Schneider, Vice President of Johnson Melloh Solutions (JMS). “JMS is proud of the teamwork displayed by IND and IPL that made this green project such a great success. Our hope is that many visitors from other states and countries fly into IND and realize after passing the solar farm, that Indiana is both a great place to live and a progressive community for thriving new businesses.”
“With Phase I of the IND Solar Farm being commissioned in October 2013, Telamon is once again honored to be a part of this project that has doubled in size in just one year,” said Albert Chen, CEO & President of Telamon Corporation. “The solar farm continues to showcase how all entities involved are committed to promoting the importance of sustainability in Indianapolis.”.