KAIAKEA — County officials announced Wednesday that another county facility will soon be powered by the sun. The county has awarded Solar Engineering and Contracting a $197,500 contract to install a 30-kilowatt DC photovoltaic system at Kaiakea fire station, making
KAIAKEA — County officials announced Wednesday that another county facility will soon be powered by the sun.
The county has awarded Solar Engineering and Contracting a $197,500 contract to install a 30-kilowatt DC photovoltaic system at Kaiakea fire station, making it the third county facility to have solar power. IDS Popov Hawai‘i was hired as the project design engineer.
“We are very excited about the start of another county PV project,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. in a statement. “Incorporating renewable energy into as many county facilities as possible is one of our top priorities and is on our list of Holo Holo 2020 projects.”
The mayor noted that the county is also seeking a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the fire station.
“Having a LEED certification for Kaiakea will demonstrate that the county is committed to sustainability, including lower operating costs and better indoor environmental quality,” Carvalho said.
Unlimited Builders is the general contractor responsible for managing the LEED certification process.
Preliminary work on the Kaiakea PV project has started and is scheduled for completion at the end of August.
Based on the National Renewable Energy Lab’s wattage calculator, the Kaiakea PV system is projected to produce over 40,000 kw of energy annually.
According to Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s May 2011 schedule G rate of 45.5 cents per kwh, the energy generated by the Kaiakea PV system would result in a yearly savings of $18,000. Levels of savings in the future will depend on KIUC’s electricity rates and how much electricity is produced by the PV system.
In terms of impact to the environment, the Kaiakea system will significantly reduce greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions, a county press release said. It is estimated that 58,000 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents will be prevented from polluting the air annually.
Funding for the Kaiakea PV project is provided by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Because the Kaiakea project is ARRA funded, the county was able to submit its construction plans for the fire station to NREL officials for their recommendations on additional energy efficiency enhancements, the release said. This enabled the county to augment the project with solar light tubes, hot water heater components and insulated exterior walls.
The Kaiakea fire station opened in September of last year. The 6,573-square-foot facility is the newest of the eight fire stations on Kaua‘i.
Fifteen firefighters covering three shifts are assigned to Kaiakea.
