Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, commissioned a 3 MW solar power plant at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, on Thursday, via virtual conferencing. This is in line with the Government of India initiative of ‘National Solar Mission’ to achieve 100GW of solar power by 2022.
The solar plant is the largest in the Indian Navy and has an estimated life of 25 years. All components have been indigenously sourced, including 9180 highly efficient monocrystalline solar panels employing the latest technology. The project has been executed by Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KELTRON).
Despite heavy monsoons and restrictions due to Covid-19, all concerned agencies including Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) continued work on the project adhering to all guidelines/ protocols against Covid-19 and executed the work in a timebound manner. The Solar Power Plant project will help Naval Station Ezhimala in reducing the carbon foot print and is one of the many initiatives undertaken by INA towards a clean and green environment. Surplus power generated will also feed the KSEB electricity grid.
2 solar power plants inaugurated
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, e-inaugurated the first Two Mega Watt Capacity Solar Power Plant of the Western Naval Command on 20 Jul 2020. The Plant has been installed at Naval Station Karanja and is one of the largest solar plants in the region. The solar plant comprises of 100% indigenously developed solar panels, tracking tables and inverters. The plant is grid interconnected utilising the state of art single axis sun tracking technology with computerised monitoring & control. The project is a significant step by the Indian Navy towards harnessing solar energy and use of renewable source of energy for meeting the power supply requirement of naval station.