While the buy-in cost is high (and often
prohibitive), the long-term savings are considerable,
not to mention the peace of mind that comes with knowing
you’re saving tons of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide
and carbon dioxide emissions—contributors to smog,
acid rain and global warming—from polluting the
air. Rebates from the electric company along with the
35% state tax credit and 30% federal tax credit on solar
electric systems don’t hurt, either, as 70,000 Hawai‘i
households with solar water heaters—more per capita
than any other state—can attest to.
Businesses and public institutions are
also looking for commercial-scale solutions to the rising
cost of fossil fuels, the limited supply and regulatory
pressure. The commitment to solar will become an economic
imperative as utility costs continue to soar. Between
1990 and 2004, Hawaiian Electric’s average utility
rates rose 67%. Projections forecasted by the Hawaiian
Electric Light Company estimate that the cost of a barrel
of medium sulfur oil on the Big Island will jump from
$34 a barrel in 2004 to $105 a barrel in 2025. Similarly,
diesel fuel on the Big Island will skyrocket from $57
a barrel in 2004 to $147 a barrel in 2025.
The state has mandated that 20 percent
of Hawai‘i’s electricity is to be generated
from renewable resources by the end of 2020. To that end,
more and more institutions are installing solar photovoltaic
systems. Hawaiian Electric Company’s “Sun
Power for Schools” program has brought solar electric
installations to 21 Hawai‘i public schools that
have pledged to develop a renewable energy curriculum.
Here are some of the biggest sun-kissed endeavors in the
state.
1 - In spite of its unremarkable name,
Hangar 54 at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor holds the distinction
of carrying on its roof the largest federal photovoltaic
system in Hawai‘i. The 309-kilowatt PowerLight PowerGuard
solar electric rooftop system, made up of 1,545 solar
panels made by Sharp Corporation, was installed last October
and covers 31,000 square feet of roof space. The solar
power collected from the system—the same amount
of energy that would power 300 homes—feeds the U.S.
Navy’s electrical grid at Pearl Harbor and is expected
to save the Navy an estimated $40,000 a year.
2 - The 225,000-acre Parker Ranch on the
Big Island boasts the world’s largest hybrid solar/wind
power system. With 476 photovoltaic modules and five wind
turbines, the apparatus covers two acres of land and generates
175 kilowatts of photovoltaic power and 50 kilowatts of
wind power—enough to run the pumps that deliver
drinking water to all the livestock in the Mauna Kea,
Mana and Keamuku grazing areas. The PowerLight PowerTracker
ground-mounted power array allows the solar panels to
rotate and follow the sun as it moves westward across
the sky in order to generate the maximum energy possible—29%
more than a stationary grid. It’s estimated that
this project will produce the same energy over its 25-year
lifetime that would otherwise come from 70,000 barrels
of imported oil.
3 - Who soaks up the most sunshine on Maui?
Would you have guessed a car dealership, a linen supplier
and a boutique hotel? Maui’s largest solar electric
system—photovoltaic cells pumping out 52.2 kilowatts
of power –belongs to Island Dodge in Kahului. Maui
Linen Supply in Wailuku comes in a near second with a
system that produces 50 kilowatts, and the Makai Inn in
Lahaina is third with a 19.6-kilowatt system.
4 - On Kaua‘i, the largest solar electric
system honor belongs to King Auto Center with a 156-panel,
25-kilowatt setup. The system is hooked up to the island’s
power grid run by Kaua‘i Island Utility Coop, which
buys any excess power produced by the PV cells that the
dealership doesn’t need.
All these photovoltaic systems are designed
by ProVision Technologies in Hilo. ProVision president
Marco Mangelsdorf, who has been working on renewable energy
systems for 28 years, explains why it makes sense for
businesses to go solar. One, we have some of the highest
utility rates in the country; two, we have abundant sunshine;
and three, the additive tax credits—30 percent federal
and 35 percent state—would cover two-thirds of the
cost of the system. An out-of-pocket purchase could achieve
100 percent payback within three years. “The economics
of going solar electric for businesses in Hawai‘i
has never been better,” he says.
5 - In 1998, the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and
Bungalows on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast became
the first hotel in Hawai‘i to install a rooftop
solar photovoltaic system. By 2003, they had expanded
to seven systems that altogether generate 674 kilowatts
of solar electric power, making Mauna Lani the largest
solar-powered resort in the world. Besides the rooftop
systems, the resort also has 162 solar-powered golf carts
(which saves the energy recharging equivalent of 12 barrels
of oil or 2,200 pounds of coal over each cart’s
lifetime) and a solar-powered Watsu massage spa (the only
one in the world). According to system manufacturer Powerlight,
over the next 30 years the environmental savings will
amount to the equivalent of planting more than one million
trees or removing 4,500 cars from the roadways.
Blown away - States largest wind farm
set to open
The final pieces of equipment arrived last month to complete
the 20 wind towers at what will be the state’s largest
wind farm.
“All the pieces are now here, and
the towers are going up,” says LuAnn Yap, a spokesperson
for the Kaheawa Wind Farm on Maui.
The 180-foot towers, with 1.5 megawatt General
Electric turbines, will produce about 30-megawatts of
electricity, or about nine percent of Maui’s energy
use. The Kaheawa Farm in West Maui will sell its energy
to Maui Electric.
The farm is a joint project between a Boston-based
company, UPC Wind, which owns 51 percent of the development,
and Makani Nui Associates, a local company that owns the
remaining 49 percent. Consumers may eventually see a reduction
in their energy bills, but no one is yet projecting actual
savings.
The project’s “commissioning”
date, which was scheduled earlier this month (April 6),
has been pushed back to May 15.
For more solar and renewable energy news [SolarAccess.com]
