Hindustan Shipyard Ltd inaugurates Largest Rooftop Solar Plant in Andhra Pradesh by partnering with CleanMax Solar

CleanMax Solar, India’s largest rooftop solar developer, had commissioned this 2 MWp rooftop solar plant for Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) at Visakhapatnam on 27^th August 2018. This project was inaugurated on 21^st September, 2018 in the presence of RAdm L.V. Sarat Babu, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Shipyard and Mr. Umakant Shende, COO, CleanMax Solar.

The solar plant, now the largest rooftop solar plant in Andhra Pradesh, will help the shipyard to save INR 48 lakh per annum in energy costs, while also reducing its environmental footprint. Hindustan Shipyard (formerly known as Scindia Shipyard) was built in 1941 as India’s first greenfield defense shipyard. The shipyard can claim another pioneering milestone, as an early adopter of rooftop solar, moving towards a sustainable future. This rooftop solar plant will meet about 35% of Hindustan Shipyard’s total power consumption, with 28 lakh units of clean solar energy being generated annually by the plant.

Seven buildings in the Hindustan Shipyard Limited premises have been equipped with solar panels, including the iconic blue sheds where naval ships & submarines are built and repaired. Overall the panels will result in the abatement of 2300 tons of CO₂ per annum, for the next 25 years. This abatement is equivalent to planting 58,000 full grown trees. The project was constructed under the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Rooftop Solar Scheme. This scheme promotes Rooftop Solar projects for government buildings based on the RESCO or OPEX model, in which solar developers like CleanMax Solar will invest, construct, own and operate the solar plants under long-term power purchase agreement.

Commenting on this project, Umakant Shende, Chief Operating Officer, CleanMax Solar, “We are proud to associate with Hindustan Shipyard Limited in their move towards a more sustainable future through solar power. I would like to congratulate the management of HSL for their leadership and foresight in doing so.  This was an exciting and challenging project for CleanMax, due to the security requirements, high inclined roofs and high wind speeds, but we are pleased to have executed the project within the project timeline and yet with strict adherence to safety and quality standards as in every project. CleanMax Solar has developed necessary competencies in commissioning rooftop projects for high-security establishments like Bangalore International Airport, Chennai Metro, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Rapid Action Force, and recently constructed one of the largest rooftop solar plants at a prison premises in India”.

RAdm L.V. Sarat Babu, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Shipyard Limited, said at the occasion, “Hindustan Shipyard Limited has always been at the forefront of bringing the latest innovations in technology to Indian defense systems. So we are extremely happy to adopt clean technology by partnering with CleanMax Solar for such an important step towards being an environmentally responsible organization. This 2 MW rooftop solar plant is one of the largest across any Government facility in India and will help reduce carbon footprint by abating 2300 tons CO₂ per year which is equivalent to planting almost 58,000 fully grown trees”.

In the recent past, multiple government buildings like various ICAR Institutes, Rapid action force campuses, Ministry of Earth Science (MOES) facilities and CPWD buildings like Aaykar Bhawan, Pratishta Bhawan and Customs and Excise buildings, at various locations in India have adopted solar solutions with CleanMax Solar.