Vikram Solar module factory gets a rooftop PV plant

Module manufacturer and EPC contractor Vikram Solar has commissioned a rooftop solar project at its manufacturing facility in Falta, West Bengal. The 919.73 kWp plant consists of 2,574 solar panels ranging from 325Wp to 400Wp and covers an area of 6,500 square meters. 

Vikram Solar’s annual PV module production capacity stands at 1.2 GW. 

The solar plant will generate 1,350.58 MWh of electricity per year and meet more than 27% of the entire manufacturing unit’s electricity consumption during regular daytime operation. It will help to avoid 1,645 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The plant uses 12 different types of modules, including SOMERA monocrystalline, half-cut and full-cut cell modules manufactured by Vikram Solar. 

Speaking about the project, Saibaba Vutukuri, CEO, Vikram Solar, said, “This rooftop project was envisioned not only to cater to the captive energy requirements of our manufacturing unit but also to make it a green energy unit and enabling India’s transition to a low-carbon economy.”

“The project showcases Vikram Solar’s multiple technologies in solar PV modules, inverter, and robotic cleaning systems driven by soiling sensors at a single location and will result in a total saving of about INR 98.8 lakh per annum on energy. These state-of-art technologies ensure better performance and higher energy yield. We hope that self-sustaining initiatives like this will inspire others to embrace the path to reducing carbon footprint,” he added.

To utilize the energy generated from the PV plant, Vikram Solar has installed 14 grid-connected string inverters from Sungrow, Huawei and Solis and 60 micro-inverters from Enphase. 

The project was commissioned in a record time of less than one month despite the complexity of constructing the project with different module types (half-cut and full-cut) and sizes.