KIUC ranked No. 9 for solar energy output

LIHUE — Kauai Island Utility Cooperative was honored Monday by the Solar Electric Power Association as one of the nation’s Top 10 utilities for its delivery of solar energy.

KIUC brought home the No. 9 spot for electric utilities that added the most new solar power to their systems on a watts-per-customer basis in 2013. The cooperative was ranked sixth for the cumulative watts installed per customer.

The annual ranking, which identifies the companies that are most quickly integrating solar into the nation’s power grid, is part of the seventh annual Utility Solar Rankings report issued by SEPA.

KIUC has been listed among SEPA’s Top 10 for solar integration since the rankings began.

With the addition of nearly 800 customer-sited photovoltaic systems in 2013, KIUC added 167 watts of solar per customer on the grid. By the end of 2013, KIUC had nearly 20 megawatts of solar and about 2,000 PV systems on its grid.

“Our team appreciates the national recognition for our leadership in solar energy, especially in the company of so many larger utilities,” said David Bissell, president and CEO of KIUC, in a press release. “Pursuing utility-scale solar that benefits all of our members is a key strategy to reach our ambitious renewable energy goals and help bring down the cost of electricity.”

KIUC is in the process of building two 12-megawatt solar arrays that will be among the largest in Hawaii. In Koloa, KIUC is building a $40 million array that will meet 6 percent of Kauai’s energy needs and replace 1.7 million gallons of oil annually. The array will be operational this summer.

KIUC also plans to break ground within the next month on a $54 million solar array in partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in Anahola.

KIUC is a member-owned cooperative serving 30,000 customers on the island.