SolarCity Hawaii has teamed up with the Hawaiian Electric Company to develop a new, 50-acre, 15 MW PV plant that will become the largest solar installation on the island of Oahu.
The project will be built on undeveloped land near to the islands Kahe Generating Station in the city of Mililani. Hawaiian Electric will own and operate the plant, with SolarCity constructing the project after winning a competitive procurement process.
Preliminary estimates for the plant suggest that it will reduce Oahus electricity generation costs by $64 million during its lifespan, displacing 1.8 million gallons of oil per annum. Construction of the project will commence as soon as it has been approved by the PUC, and the system is expected to be operational by the end of 2015, connecting to the islands 64,000 volt sub-transmission grid system.
"We are committed to building a better energy future for Hawaii," said Hawaiian Electrics VP of power supply, Ron Cox. "This is a unique opportunity to make a difference for all of our customes because it allows us to quickly develop more low-cost clean energy."
SolarCitys regional director in Hawaii, Jon Yoshimura, added: Hawaiian Electrics project is living proof that solar power can protect Hawaiis environment and strengthen its economy at the same time by providing clean energy less expensively than power generated from fossil fuels.
"The SolarCity team in Mililani is honored to be selected for this project, and were excited to work with Hawaiian Electric to deliver more clean, homegrown energy to Oahu residents."
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