Keahole Solar Power, LLC is moving forward with plans to build a 5 megawatts (MW) concentrating solar power plant on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
The developers signed a lease agreement with the State of Hawaii, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) for land that will house the Kalaeloa Solar One project.
This marks the first renewable energy project for DHHL.
Concentrating solar power technology uses mirrored reflectors and optics to intensify solar heat to produce steam that drives an electricity-producing turbine. The Kalaeloa Solar One system will track the sun through-out the day which increases the amount of kilowatt hours the system produces annually, and the field will include thermal storage which enables energy to be produced during clouds or at night.
“KSP’s goals are to bring 30 MW of solar power to Hawaii by 2015. While very ambitious, we believe the low cost and thermal storage benefits found in Concentrating Solar Power technology are especially good for Hawaii’s ratepayers and the Smart Grid,” said Edward Lui, member of the Board of Directors at Keahole Solar Power.
The project is expected to break ground late 2010 and is estimated for completion by 3Q11.
In 2009, Keahole Solar Power inaugurated Holaniku at Keahole Point, Hawaii’s first Concentrating Solar Power. That facility, based on the Big Island of Hawaii, produces 2 MW of thermal energy and incorporates 2 hours of thermal energy storage. Energy from Holaniku is sold to the Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) grid under a Power Purchase Agreement approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
Keahole Solar Power, LLC (KSP) is an independent clean energy company with three business units: KSP Development, KSP Generation and KSP Innovation. KSP Development is focused on the project development of micro-utility scaled solar farms in the 1-to-25 MW class. KSP Generation is sn independent power producer that operates renewable energy assets. KSP Innovation developed proprietary thermal energy storage, solar plant controls, system operations and has ongoing activities to help solar projects be more efficient.
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