Taking a step towards sustainability, the county of Kaua‘i has recently signed a 20-year purchase power agreement with SunEdison, LLC, the nation’s largest solar energy services provider. “In this type of agreement, the county doesn’t have to invest any money
Taking a step towards sustainability, the county of Kaua‘i has recently signed a 20-year purchase power agreement with SunEdison, LLC, the nation’s largest solar energy services provider.
“In this type of agreement, the county doesn’t have to invest any money up front, and we pay a lower, fixed price for electricity that’s not tied to volatile oil prices,” Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a statement. “SunEdison builds and maintains the system. We get predictable energy pricing over the next two decades, plus SunEdison is always there to service the system.”
SunEdison will install and maintain a 72 kWh AC photovoltaic system on the roof of the Pi‘ikoi Building in the Lihu‘e Civic Center. Power produced from this PV system will be sold to the county.
“SunEdison looks forward to meeting renewable energy needs for the Lihu‘e Civic Center,” Mark Culpepper, vice president and spokesperson for SunEdison, said in a statement. “And we look forward to always being there to service the PV system for years to come.”
In the first year of operation, the PV system is expected to produce 135,664 kWh. This could save the county $18,315, based on the rate of $0.195 per kWh for PV power compared to the $0.33 (October 2007 rate) paid to Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC).
Savings in the future will depend on the current rate of electricity and how much kWh is produced by the system. Another factor in the savings is the rising price for PV power by two percent a year.
The PV system will also reduce greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions. SunEdison approximates that 695.7 pounds of nitrous oxide, 658.8 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 183,663 pounds of carbon dioxide will be prevented from polluting the air yearly.
“Over its 20-year life span, the system will stop the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that’s equivalent to the amount released by 267,000 cars driven annually over 5.3 million miles,” Glenn Sato, energy coordinator for the county, said in a statement.
The PV system will be equipped with calibrated meters and monitoring devices so energy production can be viewed daily. Billing will be based on the actual production of solar energy. A remote monitoring system with automatic alarms is also located on the PV system. In case of a maintenance issue, SunEdison representatives can provide immediate response.
Sharry Glass, community member and PV system advocate, is pleased to hear the county is planning on using solar energy.
“I think it’s an excellent step in the right direction,” Glass said. “Solar is one of the really viable and renewable resources for us.”
Glass attended the Apollo Kaua‘i meeting on solar power Thursday evening and was excited at the turnout. According to Glass, over 80 people showed up, proving an interest in solar power on Kaua‘i.
“Solar is a proven technology,” Glass said. “I learned (at the meeting) that the first crystalline silicon cell that was created in 1953 (for solar power) is still producing electricity.”
As for Kaua‘i County, the PV system at the Lihu’e Civic Center is just the stepping stone for future projects.
“We’re optimistic that the Lihu‘e Civic Center PV project will be successful and are looking at similar projects for other county facilities such as the police headquarters/civil defense building and some of our wastewater treatment plants,” Baptiste states in a release. “As a county, we need to continue to move towards energy self-sufficiency and reduce our dependency on the volatile oil market.”
For more information on solar energy and PV systems, go to www.sunedison.com.
• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.
