Hoku Scientific plans solar power plants in Hawaii
By Jennifer Sudick, Star Bulletin / Jan 22, 2008
Source: Star Bulletin
http://starbulletin.com/2008/01/22/business/story03.html
Hawaii will soon be home to two of the largest solar power systems in North America. Hoku Scientific Inc. and James Campbell Co. yesterday announced plans to build a solar power plant near the Campbell Industrial Park that will be capable of generating 1.5 megawatts of photovoltaic power, making it Hoku’s largest project to date. The company is currently working on installing a 167-kilowatt solar power system at the Hawaiian Electric Co.’s Ward Avenue substation, as well as projects with Paradise Beverages Inc. and Bank of Hawaii.
The project, aiming to begin operation at the end of this year on 12 acres at Campbell’s Kapolei Sustainable Energy Park, follows in the footsteps of a 1.5-megawatt, 10-acre solar project announced by Castle & Cooke Inc. in June for Lanai.
Permits for the Lanai project are expected to be finalized late this spring, with construction to wrap up in late summer or early fall, said Tim Hill, executive vice president of Castle & Cooke. Electricity generated by that plant will be sold to Maui Electric Co.
In its lifetime, the Campbell-Hoku system is estimated to produce enough electricity to power approximately 6,700 homes for one year and eliminate 38,161 tons of carbon dioxide while saving 120,000 barrels of oil over 25 years. The agreement between Hoku and Campbell is nonbinding, and subject to conditions and government approvals related to the capped, former hazardous waste pile area on the site, Campbell said in a statement.
Photovoltaic panels are made up of silicon solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity. The system will cost between $10 and $15 million to develop, said Scott Paul, Hoku’s vice president and general counsel. Currently, seven solar projects in North America are larger in terms of megawatts.
Paul said electricity produced by the system will be offered at comparable rates to HECO. “Hoku and Campbell are looking at different uses for the electricity that will be generated, which may include selling the generated power to adjacent commercial users,” Paul said. “Another option would be to sell the electricity directly to Hawaiian Electric.”