Hawaiian Electric Brings Sun Power to Four Oahu Schools

HONOLULU (January 15, 2007) – Four Oahu schools – Jarrett Middle School, Highlands Intermediate School, Nanakuli High & Intermediate School and Waianae Intermediate School – started the 2007 semester with the addition of the latest generation photovoltaic or PV cell technology on their building rooftops thanks to Hawaiian Electric’s Sun Power for Schools program, a unique partnership between the utility, Hawaii State Department of Education and the community.

Each 2-kW system features an array of 10 PV panels and related equipment installed at a cost of about $40,000-$48,000. The systems were installed at each school on a single building with optimum sun exposure, and will provide about 3,500 kWh of electricity per year per system. “While the actual electrical savings is small compared to the schools’ overall demand, Sun Power for Schools engages the community to play an active role in the pursuit of renewable energy and provides an educational tool for Hawaii youth,” said Darren Ishimura, Hawaiian Electric’s Sun Power for Schools project leader.

“This is truly a business-education partnership, said Levi Chang, principal at Nanakuli High & Intermediate School. “Solar panels installed at our school help reduce the use of fuel to power energy while our science classes benefit from a real-life application of scientific theory.” At Jarrett Middle School, Vice Principal Beverly Barnard said, “The program is particularly interesting to our entire community because the sun panels are visible throughout the school and to our community at large. Students in 6th and 8th grade science classes will learn how electrical energy is generated from the sun to provide electricity to the school.”

“Our students in the 8th grade science curriculum will be able to use and apply the Sun Power for Schools information to their in-depth study of alternative sources of energy,” said Amy Martinson, principal at Highlands Intermediate School. Martinson also noted that each year about 110 students at Highlands participate in the State Science and Engineering Fair. This year, the PV system will play a role. “There are biology projects that focus on the use of a light source and its effect on living things, and we also have a Scientific Garden which we hope to utilize the PV system to help run.”

The Department of Education is tasked to select schools that demonstrate a commitment to develop a renewable energy curriculum as well as the school’s ability to meet structural requirements for the PV install. Customer voluntary contributions help to cover the costs of the PV hardware and installation labor and Hawaiian Electric also provides in-kind contributions for engineering design, project management and marketing activities.

To date, Sun Power for Schools has achieved PV installations at 26 schools totaling over 34 kW on Oahu, Maui County, and the Big Island since the program’s inception in 1997. In addition, Hawaiian Electric – along with subsidiaries Maui Electric Company (MECO) and Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) – has provided more than $140,000 of initial hardware/installation labor funds and more than $640,000 of inkind support.

For individuals interested in contributing to Sun Power for Schools, call Hawaiian Electric’s Education & Consumer Affairs department at 543-7511 for a sign-up card. To contribute to the program at Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) on the Big Island, call 969-0137 and for Maui Electric Company (MECO), call 871-2323. For more information on Sun Power for Schools, visit heco.com.

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