Ernakulam Milma to Become India’s First Fully Solar-powered Dairy

KOCHI:
Ernakulam Regional Milk Producers Cooperative Society (Milma) is set to become India’s first fully solar-powered dairy, creating a new milestone in the country’s dairy sector by powering all its operations through green energy.

Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry and Dairy George Kurian will dedicate the 2MW solar power project at Ernakulam Union’s Tripunithura plant on November 9 at 10 am. The same day, state Dairy Development and Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchurani will lay the foundation of Milma’s Products Dairy Upgradation Project.

Also, Milma Federation Chairman K S Mani will hand over the keys of the Central Quality Control Lab to National Dairy Development Board Chairman Dr Meenesh Shah.

The total outlay of the solar-powered dairy project is Rs 16 crore, which includes a loan of Rs 9.2 crore from the Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Scheme and Rs 6.8 crore from the regional union’s funds. The project consists of 8 KV floating solar panels installed in the dairy compound’s lake, and 1,890 KW on-ground panels spread over 4.7 acres.

“The carbon neutral plant heralds the Indian dairy industry’s strong commitment to green energy and environmental stewardship,” said Ernakulam Union Chairman M T Jayan.

“The st ate-of-the-art model solar technology is a welcome change in environmental and technological aspects.”

Milma’s solar plant is expected to generate 2.9 million units (GWh) of green energy, saving Rs 1.94 crore in energy costs annually. It will reduce 2,400 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to planting 100,000 trees.

“It will meet the entire energy requirement of the dairy during the day time and help absorb the surplus energy held by the DISCOM during peak and off-peak hours, making Milma Ernakulam Dairy fully solar powered,” Jayan said.

ANERT (Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology, Govt. of Kerala) was the technical adviser for the project tested and commissioned by KC Kopar Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd. New and renewable components approved by the Ministry of Energy were installed following strict standards.

Its key components include BIS-approved half-cut solar cells and Fronius inverters from Austria, which can withstand wind speeds of up to 150 km per hour. A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system has also been set up to monitor and report to KSEB seamlessly.

A massive renovation, costing Rs 4 crore, is also underway at Edappally Products Dairy under Milma Ernakulam Union. This includes a new extrusion machine and cold storage facility. An outlay of Rs 3.75 crore was spent on modernising the plant with advanced equipment.

It will help Milma Ernakulam Union meet the growing consumer demand for high-quality dairy products and support local dairy farmers by increasing milk demand. The Central Quality Control Laboratory was established under Ernakulam Edappally Milma using Rs 8 crore from the National Programme for Dairy Development.

Beyond milk and dairy products, the Edappally laboratory also aims to increase its testing capacity to include spices and other food and agricultural items.