HONOLULU — Hawaii’s Department of Education is proposing to install solar panels on every public school in Hawaii over the next five years to cut electricity costs and move the state closer to its renewable energy goals. HONOLULU — Hawaii’s
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s Department of Education is proposing to install solar panels on every public school in Hawaii over the next five years to cut electricity costs and move the state closer to its renewable energy goals.
Under the proposal, a vendor would install panels at all 256 Hawaii public schools and the department would buy solar power from the vendor at a reduced rate, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday. The state would have little to no upfront costs.
The department would also install more energy-efficient systems in schools.
The department has met with the state Public Utilities Commission and will soon talk with Hawaiian Electric about the plan.
Ray L’Heureux, the department’s assistant superintendent for facilities, said after studying similar solar power projects around the country, he concluded the Hawaii plan is feasible —and unprecedented. “Nobody has done this yet to this size and scale,” he said.
Monique Hanis, spokeswoman for the Solar Energy Industries Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, said Hawaii’s plan is “one of the most ambitious we’ve seen.”
She said she was unaware of any other case of an entire school district moving to solar power.
