12 MW Kauai Solar Project, Hawaii

The proposed 12 MW Kauai solar project will be located on agricultural land on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. We are currently working on advanced site development activities.

The Kauai solar project would provide the average energy supply for about 8,000 homes on Kauai.

Climate and Environmental Benefits. The renewable energy produced by solar power is clean and non-polluting (i.e., no emissions). As compared with the energy produced by an oil-fired power plant (the predominant power source on Kauai), the environmental attributes and air emissions SAVINGS benefits of this 12 MW solar project are estimated as follows:

reduces dependence on imported oil, saving the consumption of 11,800 barrels per year
reduced water pollution/consumption of 8,600,000 gallons per year
equivalent avoided emission of 28,000,000 lbs of CO2 per year, which reduces the impacts of global warming and climate change
equivalent to planting about 1,500,000 trees (or a 4,700 acre forest), because trees naturally absorb CO2

The emissions and pollution SAVED (or prevented) during the Kauai solar project’s life of 20 years—over 567,000,000 pounds of NOx, SOx, and CO2 ! Wow!

Economic Benefits. Solar power is a renewable energy resource which would lessen the region's dependence on fossil fuels. The “fuel” for this energy resource—the sun—is natural, abundant, and free, which would reduce the impact of fossil fuel price volatility on the local utility and its customers.

This Project would be a boost to Hawaii’s economy through local construction jobs and expenditures on materials, supplies and equipment rentals, as well as through the creation of long-term employment. The local economic benefits (direct and indirect) from this solar Project over 20 years is estimated to be roughly $33 million, including property taxes, payroll from high-skilled jobs, land owner/farmer land leases, sales taxes, business taxes, various services purchased from local retailers (both during initial construction, plus continuing services for operation and maintenance), etc.

Social and Health Savings. Further, the hidden economic burdens placed on society from air pollution created by fossil-fired power generation is huge—the costs to "medicate" and "repair" our society, based upon the various air pollution values over 20 years mentioned above, is roughly estimated at $80 million, which comprises health care and disease costs, plus damage to crops, property, climate, livestock, etc., as well as, impacts to public services. Therefore, the clean renewable power from this solar project would save our society roughly $80 million over 20 years in health and societal costs.

Avian & Wildlife Benefits. Not only does the use of clean, natural solar power save human lives, it also saves the lives of birds and other wildlife. Birds are far more sensitive to pollution than humans due to the thinness of the bird's lung's air-sac gas-exchange tissue, roughly half of the thickness of mammals, plus the large amounts of oxygen required for flight. Therefore, birds are far more sensitive to airborne particulates and pollution. In addition, fossil-fired power plants cause significant bird fatalities not only from air pollution, but from mining, destruction of forests, collisions with power plant smokestacks and structures, climate change which wreaks havoc on migration routes and degrades habitats, etc.

In a study completed by Ben Sovacool, in March 2009, "Contextualizing Avian Mortality: A preliminary appraisal of bird and bat fatalities from wind, fossil-fuel, and nuclear electricity," he offered a methodology to approximate the number of birds killed per kilowatt-hour (kWh) generated. Therefore, based upon Sovacool's methodology, this solar Project would save an estimated 1,300 birds over 20 years by displacing fossil-fired power and its toxic pollution/emissions!

All values contained herein are preliminary and approximate.

November 2009