Posted at 3:39 a.m., Sunday, November 11, 2007
Kauai County banking on photovoltaic power
Advertiser Staff
LIHU'E – In its quest to become energy self-sufficient, Kauai County recently signed a 20-year purchase power agreement with SunEdison, LLC.Under the contract, the solar energy services company will install and maintain a 72 kW AC photovoltaic system on the roof of the Pi'ikoi Building at the Lihu'e Civic Center.
The power produced by the system will be sold to the county.
"In this type of agreement, the county doesn't have to invest any money upfront, and we pay a lower, fixed price for electricity that's not tied to volatile oil prices," said Mayor Bryan Baptiste.
"SunEdison builds and maintains the system. We get predictable energy pricing over the next two decades, plus SunEdison is always there to service the system," Baptiste said.
