Local business and community officials celebrated a 2,280-panel solar array Thursday at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, saying the project sets an example for others to follow.
Local business and community officials celebrated a 2,280-panel solar array Thursday at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, saying the project sets an example for others to follow.
The project sits on 1.3 acres of Cyanotech Corp.’s 90-acre microalgae farm and will produce 1,147,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. That’s enough energy to power the entire farm’s production during daylight hours and will reduce Cyanotech’s power costs by one-third, said Jen Johansen, Cyanotech vice president of quality and regulatory affairs.
By using this solar array, Cyanotech, a recognized world leader in microalgae technology, is helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 791 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually — the equivalent to taking 167 vehicles off the road or 1,839 barrels of oil per year, she added.
A crowd of roughly 50 people gathered at the site for a blessing conducted by kumu Keala Ching, founder of Na Wai Iwi Ola Foundation. Besides asking for blessings and positive energy, Ching chanted like his grandmother told him, carefully choosing words and knowing, “In the word there is life; in the world there is death.” He also performed pi kai — a ritual sprinkling of seawater from the area — on dignitaries.
This system was made possible because of a partnership between Cyanotech and Neighborhood Power, a Maui-based company committed to “breaking down barriers every day to provide affordable solar energy solutions to everyone.” Cyanotech signed a power purchase agreement with Neighborhood Power, which constructed, owns and operates the solar array.
“I am very excited to be here with you today as we sit on the verge of a global transition off fossil fuel dependence toward a renewable energy economy and our progressive state of Hawaii is leading the way,” said Stephen Gates, Neighborhood Power Co. president.
In his congratulatory message, Mayor Billy Kenoi applauded Cyanotech, Renewable Services Group and Neighborhood Power for their environmental stewardship in this joint effort to create green energy, as well as wished for continued success.
Kenoi and Johansen mentioned how the system was in alignment with Cyanotech’s corporate value of “Malama Aina.”
“Environmental stewardship is a key tenet of Cyanotech’s corporate mission,” said Cyanotech’s Chief Science Officer Gerry Cysewski, who also is the company’s executive vice president and co-founder. “We are currently able to keep our carbon footprint down because our microalgae use carbon dioxide. The solar array will further reduce our greenhouse emissions and costs, making it a win-win for our bottom line and the environment.”
Construction of the solar array took approximately three months and the cost “cannot be disclosed,” Johansen said. The solar array will begin providing power once HELCO approves, she added.
Gates thanked HELCO for providing the Big Island with a steady, seamless supply of reliable electricity while “solving problems most of us never heard of and do not understand.” He also shared his hope for Hawaii, which included avoiding the lure of cheap natural gas and instead forming partnerships between distributed renewable producers such as Neighborhood Power and local utilities.
To offset the environmental impact of building this project, Gates said Neighborhood Power planted 14,000 trees — basically 20 trees for every kilowatt of solar installed — through nonprofit Trees for the Future.
Other good deeds announced by Wong during Thursday’s celebration were donations of $5,000 each to the Friends of NELHA and the Guy Toyama Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com.