By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– Mayor Peter Carlisle announced that a new solar energy system is now in operation at the City’s Pearl City Bus Maintenance Facility.
The system includes 990 photovoltaic panels that generate approximately 20 percent of the facility’s electricity, providing a clean power source and saving taxpayers an estimated $83,000 each year.
“This is a great example of an energy project that is friendly to our environment and to our finances,” Carlisle said.
The 232-kilowatt system will generate approximately 381,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year-enough to power 53 typical Oahu homes.
The $2 million project was fully financed by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The project also includes the application of a “cool roof” coating to deflect heat and reduce the level of air conditioning needed to cool the building’s office spaces.