Actus Lend Lease says it will have created the world's largest solar-powered residential community when it installs photovoltaic systems on nearly 3,000 new Army homes on O'ahu.

The solar network will pump 7 megawatts of energy into the Army's power grid and is designed to reduce energy consumption 15 percent for the entire complex of 7,894 new and renovated homes that Actus plans for Army families on O'ahu. The captured energy also will help power 11 community centers and maintenance offices that will be built among the new and renovated homes.

Actus officials are certain that their solar project will be the biggest of its kind because their parent company — Lend Lease — built the reigning residential king of solar energy: the Olympic Village for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, which generates 6 megawatts of power.

"So far, nothing has come online that generates more power," said Jeff Cangemi, Actus Lend Lease's development manager.

Army officials have been happy with Actus' solar plans, said Gordon Takeshita, who manages the project and advises Col. Howard Killian, the U.S. Army Hawai'i garrison commander.

"Last fall they updated the garrison commander, who is very much into anything that would be an energy-saving type initiative and reduce costs to the residents," Takeshita said.

"So of course he would support it."

In two weeks, Nashville, Tenn.-based Actus Lend Lease will begin demolishing the first 322 antiquated Army duplexes in two neighborhoods on Schofield Barracks.

Eventually, Actus will renovate 2,506 homes and build 5,388 new ones in Army and Coast Guard neighborhoods at Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield, Helemano Military Reservation, Aliamanu Military Reservation, Fort Shafter and Tripler Army Medical Center.

All of the new homes will be outfitted with solar-paneled water heaters and 55 to 60 percent of them will get metal roofs attached to laminated photovoltaic systems, Cangemi said.

Sensors in the photovoltaic panels will capture the sun's energy in a direct current format, which eventually will be converted to alternating current, Cangemi said.

"The system will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by 15 percent," Cangemi said. "And the energy savings mean the system will pay for itself in 10 years."

Actus officials will not reveal the cost to install the solar-powered system for competitive reasons. It's one part of an energy-efficient mindset for the Army homes that includes double-glazed, insulated windows that block more heat from coming inside, roof vents that will release heat and low-flow faucets, showers and toilets.