Photo-Voltaic Grows on Kauai

SUBHEAD: KIUC joins with Alexander & Baldwin for 6megawatt PV system on Kauai southside. By Syanne Olsen on 19 July 2011 for PV-Tech.org - (http://www.pv-tech.org/news/kiuc_partners_with_alexander_baldwin_for_6mw_utility_scale_pv_project_in_ka) Image above: The five megawatt solar farm built on 20 acres of Oahu is expected to power between 500 and 750 homes.From (http://solarknowledge.blogspot.com/2011/02/solar-farm-planned-for-oahu-hawaii.html).

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) has joined forces with Alexander & Baldwin (A&B) for the development of a 6MW utility-scale solar PV facility on Kauai’s south shore. A&B plans to have the project developed and operated by one of its subsidiaries and will sell the power produced by the plant to KIUC under a 20-year fixed PPA agreement.

The 6MW polycrystalline panel solar facility will feature an incorporated battery energy storage system (BESS) installed by KIUC at the point of interconnection to the grid. Upon county and state regulatory approvals being completed, construction should begin later this year with completion accomplished before the end of 2012. The solar plant will be built on a 20-acre, industrial-zoned parcel of land owned by A&B and situated next KIUC’s Port Allen Station power plant.

KIUC President & Chief Executive Officer David Bissell said, “A&B’s facility, which would be the largest solar generation facility on Kauai when completed, underscores KIUC’s progress in the solar arena. When coupled with an existing 1MW facility at Kapa‘a and a planned 3MW facility at Poipu, KIUC will likely have the highest percentage of solar PV on its system anywhere in the country. This project means KIUC members will benefit for the next two decades from clean, renewable solar energy at a fixed price below our current cost of generation and not tied to oil. This is truly a win-win situation for the Kauai community and underscores our ability to work with landowners to make these kinds of projects happen."

See also: Island Breath Flora & Fauna Menu .

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