Local firms will play key part in creation of one of the largest airport solar farms in North America

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) announced today that it has selected ET Energy Solutions, LLC to develop a solar farm on Indianapolis International Airport property. The company is a joint venture (JV) between three locally based firms which bid on the project: Johnson-Melloh Solutions, Schmidt Associates, and Telamon Corporation. Telamon, a Minority Business Enterprise, is 50 percent owner of the JV.

Under the terms of the agreement, ET Energy Solutions will finance, design, construct, and operate the facility on land leased from the IAA. The local group will work in conjunction with SANYO Electric Group, a global leader in solar energy technology and development, which will provide panels for the project and assist with arranging financing.

Design and utility interconnection studies are already underway, and weather permitting, construction could begin as early as fourth quarter of 2011. The solar farm, which will be one of the largest airport-based solar farms in North America, is expected to become operational starting in mid-2012. The facility will include more than 41,000 solar panels, each capable of producing 280 watts at peak power production. The panels will be installed on ground-mounted racking systems that will fill nearly 60 acres of land near the airport exit from I-70.

The solar farm is expected to annually produce more than 15 million kilowatt hours of electric energy, enough to power more than 1,200 average American homes for a year. The renewable energy it produces will prevent approximately 10,700 tons of CO2 from being released into the environment each year, which is the equivalent of removing approximately 2,000 cars from the road. To help raise awareness of solar energy, real-time output data will be available to the public.

Electricity created by the airport solar farm will be fed directly into the grid operated by the Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL) through existing surface transmission lines that connect the airport terminal to the IPL substation west of the airport. No public funds or airport costs are anticipated to be involved in the project.

“The IND solar farm is just the latest innovation in our land-use strategy moving toward implementation,” said John D. Clark III, executive director and CEO of the IAA. “It supports our commitment to sustainability while helping to grow and diversify our revenue stream. Finding productive and harmonious uses for airport land ultimately aids our efforts to attract and maintain the air service that anchors the IND Aerotropolis and generates economic benefits throughout our region.”

An Aerotropolis is an “airport city” in which a collaborative, multimodal approach is leveraged to maximize the ability of an airport to foster economic growth and infrastructure development throughout its surrounding region. In addition to its core air transportation missions, IND Aerotropolis focuses on maximizing airport assets and possible development properties and integrating those with key economic drivers of the region.

Since both the borders and benefits of an Aerotropolis extend well beyond an airport’s property, a proactive and cooperative model is essential, and the IAA has been seeking and forging a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with key stakeholders in the airport’s neighboring communities with the goal of achieving additional strategic partnerships in the future.

“The airport serves as the gateway into Indianapolis, and this is a great way to showcase our efforts to become a more sustainable city,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. ”Installing solar panels on airport property not suitable for other development with the intent to power our city using renewable energy sources and generate revenue demonstrates the culture of innovation and commitment to sustainability that has taken root throughout Indianapolis.”

“We are very impressed with the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s vision for a greener future. Our goal is to be transparent to IAA’s solar project team participating through the planning, design, construction, project oversight, and financing stages as a venture partner,” said Albert Chen, CEO of Telamon. “We are grateful for the business opportunity and with Telamon’s successful history of integrating products and services to our Fortune 500 customers, we are very excited to be involved in this dynamic project.”

About Johnson-Melloh Solutions
Johnson-Melloh Solutions is a design-and-build construction company focused on providing long term value to their clients by reducing life cycle costs associated with energy consumption and operating costs. Johnson-Melloh Solutions has dedicated itself to adding renewable energy design and build to its portfolio of services with a specific concentrated effort on solar photovoltaic.

Kurt Schneider, Nick Melloh, and Andy Melloh own and operate Johnson Melloh Solutions as a sister company to Johnson Melloh Inc., a mechanical contractor / mechanical service provider, established in 1976. Johnson-Melloh has a diverse market penetration consisting of, but not limited to, K-12, Municipalities, Higher Education, Industrial, and Healthcare facilities.
www.johnsonmellohsolutions.com
www.johnsonmelloh.com

About Schmidt Associates
Schmidt Associates is a full-service architectural and engineering firm, with more than 35 years of experience in the planning and design of award winning, environmentally and socially responsible, sustainable facilities. Located in downtown Indianapolis, their staff includes licensed and certified professionals who specialize in planning, architecture, engineering, interior design, technology, and LEED criteria. Energy is at the forefront of Schmidt Associates’ designs through building optimization, energy modeling, renewable energy, and LEED administration. With 25 LEED accredited professionals and a dedicated energy studio, Schmidt Associates incorporates high performance/sustainable design into every project. www.schmidt-arch.com

About Telamon
Telamon Corporation, an Indianapolis based company, is your product and solution partner of choice. Established in 1985, Telamon is a $500M company, with 600+ employees across 9 locations (6 domestic, and 3 international). Uniquely positioned as a minority-owned company, Telamon has exceeded the highest standards as evidenced by our awards and certifications. At the same time, Telamon, the Greek word for “support,” is a servant company—your needs are our only priority.

Telamon Energy Solutions, as a subsidiary of the Telamon Corporation, is your preferred partner for smart building, LED lighting, sustainability products, and renewable energy solutions. Telamon Energy Solutions works with our customers to develop total energy solutions that can cut costs while improving performance, reducing energy usage, and protecting our environment. http://www.telamon.com/green.html

About SANYO
SANYO has recently become a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Panasonic. Panasonic’s goals are to become the #1 Green Electronics Company in the World by 2018. Offering not only utility solar services but innovative options for homeowners as well, SANYO and Panasonic are now leading the way in the consumerization of energy.

Link to full article:

http://johnsonmellohsolutions.com/johnson-melloh-renewable-energy-solutions/indianapolis-international-airport-solar-farm/