Jindal Steel & Power commissions 3.25 MWp building-integrated solar roof in India

Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) has announced the commissioning of a building-integrated rooftop solar project with an installed capacity of 3.25 MWp spread across an area of 2,00,000 sq.ft.

The project was built by the team at SG Ornate Solar Solutions (a joint venture of APL Apollo Tubes and Ornate Solar). It is expected to generate over 100 million units of electricity over the life of the project, contributing to offsetting 4,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Installed above the SSD-5 steel cold forming unit of Jindal Steel & Power at Angul, Odisha, the InRoof Solar plant eliminates the need for underlying metal sheets, using the patented interlocking mechanism developed by the engineering team of Ornate Solar. The design guarantees waterproofing through its inherent structure, using surface-component structures for drainage.

The double layered protection system comprises upper rail support components secured by side pressure blocks and middle pressure blocks, with aluminum alloy cover plates placed between component connections and EPDM membrane strips installed along the perpendicular length of the solar panels to prevent water ingress.

Horizontal gutters are used on the lower level to direct excess water into the main gutter, which then guides the surplus rainwater to the drainage gutter. This multi-structural approach is said to  effectively address leakage concerns and achieve comprehensive waterproofing.

The InRoof structural system can be deployed for system installations as small as 10 kW all the way up to 10,000 kW using modular assembly techniques with specially developed tools that allow 25,000 sq ft. on average to be installed in just 7-10 days.

Ornate Solar commissioned the project in less than 120 days from the date of award. The company has now over 5,00,000 sq. ft of operational InRoof solar projects and 10,00,000 sq ft. under construction.