Energy Department Awards Hawai'i $6.8 Million For Solar Projects

Press Release

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is granting the State of Hawai'i more than $6.8 million for two solar energy technology projects. The announcement by Energy Secretary Steven Chu is an example of the continued partnership between Hawai'i and the federal government to move the state forward in its renewable energy goals.

"We are aligned with the Obama Administration in lessening our dependence on fossil fuels," said Governor Neil Abercrombie. "Renewable energy is also critical to sustaining our economy. This money will help us get closer to achieving our energy goals."

Receiving DOE funding are:

State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism - $750,000

* Project will provide assistance to the state Public Utilities Commission as it sets standards in the state's roadmap to resolve grid-reliability issues, and to help integrate renewables, specifically solar.

University of Hawai'i - $6,100,000

* Project will develop and demonstrate two utility-controlled, smart grid-enabled photovoltaic (PV) inverters; one will be located on Maui. This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the impacts of distributed PV systems and facilitate their broader adoption at lower cost.

Earlier today Governor Abercrombie helped "flip the switch" at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Sinclair Library, which completed its installation of 140 solar modules. The 31.5kW-DC photovoltaic system will provide clean energy power for the library. A Photo of today's event can be viewed here: http://hawaii.gov/gov/multimedia/daily-photos.

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