The Indianapolis International Airport is installing 10,701 solar panels to help power the terminal, airfield and parking garage.
The solar panels are being installed through three projects, said Todd Cavender, Indianapolis Airport Authority Director of Environment and Sustainability. The Terminal Energy Resilience project consists of installing canopy covers with solar panels at the airport’s surface parking. Energy captured through the solar panels will be stored in a battery and utilized to power about 10 percent of the airport terminal, Cavender said.
The Parking Garage Resilience Project is similar to the Terminal Energy Resilience project. It will have solar canopy with battery storage to power about 90 percent of the parking garage.
“The existing parking garage did not have a cover on top,” Cavender said. “ Do you just build a roof or do you utilize and provide added value by utilizing solar as the roof and providing energy through that through that capability.”
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The third project has two components: a microgrid for the airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Facility No. 2 and a microgrid on the airfield’s electrical vault which will power 50 percent of the airfield.
Cavender said installing a microgrid in the airfield area was rooted in taking steps to ensure the airport is prepared for an emergency in Indianapolis.
“We have to be able to stay operational,” Cavender said. “And having a functioning airfield is critical to bringing disaster relief in, bringing the critical emergency aircraft in that would need to serve the community.”
The Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Facility No. 2 project will be complete by October, the parking garage project will be finished by the of December, and the terminal energy project will be done in April or May.
“Our number one goal is to ensure we can be a resilient airport,” Cavender said. “We want to stay operational. We want to make sure we have clean power for the airport. We have redundant power.”
