Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and SunEdison have opened a new airport solar power system at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, the first of its kind in the country.
The new system combines ground-mount, parking canopy and roof-top systems to achieve higher savings and return on investment (RoI), while minimising the use of space.
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The 19MW DC installation is expected to cut down costs at the airport by MYR2.1m ($627,000) annually based on current energy costs.
SunEdison aimed at generating the maximum RoI for Malaysia Airports while working with the limited space available in the airport.
Parking canopies offer the benefits of covered parking while generating electricity at economical price. They use airport roof-top space, and the land surrounding the airport allows electricity to be generated at the point of consumption, eliminating the need for costly transmission lines.
Malaysia Airports managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad said: "Malaysia has an ideal climate for solar power and therefore we are taking steps to generate clean energy which will be beneficial to everyone in Malaysia. We are working with SunEdison to ensure our efforts produce the results we expect.
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By GlobalData"Rooftops, parking lots and ‘buffer’ areas at airports are traditionally not multi-purpose facilities, but we’ve turned them into a clean energy generation facility."
SunEdison Asia, the Middle East, South Africa, and Australia president Pashupathy Gopalan said: "In working with Malaysia Airports we were able to help them make money from an under-utilised asset they already had; these spaces can now be harnessed to generate clean energy."
"The energy savings, combined with the positive environmental contributions from a solar installation of this size, make this a great step forward for the airport industry and a huge benefit for the local community."
The SunEdison Renewable Operation Center (ROC) will offer 24/7 solar system management and monitoring services to ensure the installation continues to perform as expected over the system’s lifetime.
Malaysia Airports manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia and is the first airport company to be listed in Asia.
Sun Edison owns and operates power plants in North America and provides solar-generated energy to commercial, government, and utility customers.
Image: SunEdison and MAHB announce first Malaysian solar installation at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Image: courtesy of PRNewsFoto/SunEdison.
