Solar Thermal Plant Produces 2 Megawatts (MW) And Energy Storage at Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii
Holaniku at Keahole Point, Hawaii Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Array
Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii, Kona, HI and Sopogy, Inc. of Honolulu, HI inaugurated the World’s first MicroCSP Solar Thermal Plant December 10, 2009 at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii.
According to the Sopogy Press Release the 2 Megawatt (MW) solar thermal energy project uses 1,000 Sopogy proprietary MicroCSP solar panels on 3.8 acres in the hot Kona desert.
“Through the use of mirrors and optics and an integrated sun tracker, these panels achieve higher efficiencies than conventional solar panels. The system also uses a unique thermal energy storage buffer that allows energy to be produced during cloudy periods and to shift energy produced from the day to evening periods.”
“The project name: ‘Holaniku at Keahole Point’ comes from the Hawaiian term for a location that has everything required for self-sufficiency.”
“MicroCSP is an achievement in rugged, modular and cost effective solar thermal technology.” According to Darren T. Kimura, President and CEO of Sopogy, Inc., “The completion and demonstration of this 2 megawatt solar thermal project is an important first step in bringing the solution to the World.”
“With the initialization of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, the state has become a magnet for renewable energy project development. Sopogy and its local solar project development partner Keahole Solar Power have a goal to bring 30 megawatts of MicroCSP power to the state by 2015.”
Contact: Ann Fitzgerald – Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, Sopogy, Inc.
Email: afitzgerald@sopogy.com Tel: 808.237.2422
Sopogy Mirrored Solar Collectors, Holaniku at Keahole Point, Hawaii
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