HONOLULU – The State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) will install over 1,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the Kalanimoku Building in the downtown Honolulu Capital District as part of the State’s ongoing efforts to lead by example in reducing Hawai‘i’s dependence on imported oil.
The 236 kilowatts-DC PV system, when complete in February 2011, will generate 296,849 kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 500,000 pounds (carbon dioxide equivalents) annually.
“The investments in energy efficiency improvements at State buildings will save taxpayer money in the long-run by reducing electricity costs, while helping to move Hawai‘i toward a clean energy future,” said Governor Linda Lingle.
This project is made possible by $2.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.
“This project will serve as a very visible demonstration of the State’s commitment to clean energy and will provide valuable educational opportunities to the occupants of government offices, the public and decision makers,” said Ted Liu, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The installation of the solar panels will be undertaken by NORESCO, LLC, and will add to the $33.9 million Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) project they were awarded in October 2009 to improve the energy efficiency of State office buildings within the State Capital District.
“The PV project is one component of DAGS’ overall strategy to reduce energy usage in ten of our large government office buildings through an energy savings performance contract,” said State Comptroller Russ Saito.
In addition to the energy savings generated from the Kalanimoku photovoltaic project, Saito said that the larger ESPC project will reduce total energy consumption in the 10 buildings by about 30 percent, or save about 6.3 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year. The ten buildings include the State Capitol, Kalanimoku, Ke‘elikolani, Kekauluohi, Kekaunaoa, Keoni Ana, Kinau Hale, Lili‘uokalani, No. 1 Capitol District, and Leiopapa A Kamehameha. Energy conservation measures in this project include improvements to air conditioning systems, lighting systems, water conservation, education of building occupants on conservation and sustainable practices, building envelope modifications, and desktop computer power management. Construction is about halfway through and is expected to be completed in late 2011.
These projects are examples of the State’s commitment to the Governor’s Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative and directly support achieving the goal of 70 percent clean energy (40 percent through renewable and 30 percent through efficiency measures) by 2030.
Success for the Kalanimoku PV project can be credited to the collaborative efforts of Patricia Saito, project officer for the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Russ Saito, comptroller of DAGS, and Ted Liu, director of DBEDT.
Submitted by the Hawaii State Comptroller