Updated at 12:09 p.m., Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Castle & Cooke to build massive solar farm on Lana'i
Advertiser Staff
Castle & Cooke Inc. will build the largest solar photovoltaic farm in the state and the fourth-largest in the United States on Lana'i, producing enough energy to supply 30 percent of the island's electric demand.The project being developed by Castle & Cooke subsidiary Lana'i Sustainability Research LLC will be built on a 10-acre site by SunPower Corp., a California-based manufacturer of solar cells, panels and systems. The 1.5-megawatt solar farm is one of several alternate energy projects Castle & Cooke is pursuing on Lana'i.
"The time to move forward with renewable energy is now," David H. Murdock, chairman and owner of Castle & Cooke, Inc., said in a news release.
"Castle & Cooke is uniquely positioned on Lana'i to move forward to quickly meet — and exceed — the state's mandate of 20 percent sustainability by 2020. With the support of the state and the counties, this agreement to build Hawai'i's largest solar farm is just the first step of our plans for renewable, sustainable energy."
