The State of Hawaii has also recently announced a Feed-In Tariff to enable renewable energy projects.
Honolulu, Hawaii [WorldofRenewables.com]
Sopogy, Inc., a leader in micro concentrating solar power (MicroCSP™) technology, will supply its proprietary solar thermal collectors for a five-megawatt MicroCSP plant, which broke ground today on Kalaeloa, Oahu– marking the largest CSP project for Hawaii.
The Kalaeloa Solar One project is a partnership between the State of Hawaii, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and Keahole Solar Power (KSP) for land in Kalaeloa to establish a home base for the clean energy project. The State of Hawaii has also recently announced a Feed-In Tariff to enable renewable energy projects.
According to the chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Kaulana Park, the ground blessing marks a tremendous step forward in implementing the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative to source 70% of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030. The project will supply clean energy for Hawaii as well as provide DHHL with rent monies which will in turn be used to build homes and fund educational programs for native Hawaiians.
“I’m excited about the future and know this is just the first of many more projects here in Hawaii,” said Governor Linda Lingle. “Five megawatts is a significant amount into our grid system and I look forward to it coming online and showing that Hawaii is in fact a renewable energy leader in the region and in the world. We know the things we learn and achieve can be used all over the world to allow others to achieve that same kind of energy security and independence, especially other island communities, island nations and island states.”
Kalaeloa will become a model for achievement to surrounding communities and the islands of Hawaii. Adopted in March 2006, the Kalaeloa Master Plan includes allotment of three million square footage of light industrial, commercial, retail and office space – set to create an estimated 7,000 jobs and approximately 6,350 residential units – with opportunities for high-tech and alternative energy development.
“Sopogy developed a fast and simple template solution which meets our internal rate of return goals,” said Edward Lui, member of the board of directors at KSP. “The MicroCSP package includes the concentrating solar collectors and thermal storage which is not only delivered quickly, but also assembled on-site at a very cost-effective price.”
Key advantages of MicroCSP technology include high efficiencies, low cost and robust applications which can be highly effective on buildings or ground installations to provide electricity, heat and cooling. The storage and backup capabilities of CSP plants offer significant benefits for the grid by providing a buffer for short-term variations such as during cloudy conditions or at night.
“Another key benefit is Sopogy’s manufacturing process and use of conventional materials,” says Darren T. Kimura President and CEO of Sopogy. “Not only can our modules be produced locally, but our collectors can also be manufactured anywhere in the world. The technology is designed to be manufactured in a piece fashion, flat packed at the factory in a container and transported or shipped directly to the project site.”
Sopogy’s MicroCSP system uses solar thermal technology consisting of parallel rows of proprietary parabolic mirror collectors, optics and an integrated tracker to concentrate the sun’s energy on a centrally-located receiver tube and re-circulate heat transfer fluid within the system. By producing thermal energy, the generated heat will then be used in conjunction with a power block engine to provide a renewable source of power.
About Sopogy
Sopogy, Inc. engages in the development, design, manufacturing and marketing of MicroCSP technologies – a comprehensive, low temperature, low cost approach to solar thermal. MicroCSP brings the economics of large Concentrating Solar Power systems to the industrial, commercial and utility sectors in a more manageable, durable and faster to deploy kit. Sopogy’s technologies are designed for the 2-50MW power class, 100-1,000 ton solar thermal air conditioning size and unlimited quantities of industrial process heat. The company’s two megawatt solar thermal field has been operational in Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A. since March 2009. It demonstrates the effectiveness and reliability of MicroCSP with Sopogy’s proprietary thermal energy storage solution. Sopogy’s award winning SopoNova solar collector was named New Product of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers and received Plant Engineering Product of the Year. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Honolulu, HI, U.S.A. Please visit www.sopogy.com for more information.
