Array of high-performance solar panels come standard on all 19 homes in Kaupuni
SolarWorld's high- performance solar panels are powering an advance in sustainable home development in the heart of Hawaii: They are generating electric power atop 19 homes and a community center for low-income residents of indigenous backgrounds in a nationally trailblazing pilot community development realized by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in Kaupuni Village on Oahu's western edge. The state of Hawaii hopes to spread the project concept, considered the nation's first LEED Platinum single-family subdivision, in developing 1,000 home statewide.
SolarWorld, the largest and most experienced U.S. manufacturer of solar technology, has provided its solar technology to the Hawaii market for 30 years, beginning with a state-federal demonstration project of grid-connected residential systems in 1980. In that project, a total of 10 kilowatts of panels were installed atop homes in three settings: urban (Honolulu), suburban (Pearl City, Oahu) and rural (Molokai). Since then, SolarWorld's solar panels have demonstrated extraordinary reliability in the tropical climes of the Pacific island state. Moreover, the company offers an industry-leading 25-year linear performance guarantee.
The three- and four-bedroom homes in the Kaupuni project, commissioned today in an event attended by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, were designed to provide housing without power costs. SolarWorld panels generate electricity; other solar gear heats water. The development includes many other eco-elements, including farming options. Eligible homeowners buy the homes at below-market rates ranging from $260,000 to $320,000, because they pay virtually no costs for leasing land set aside for Hawaiians of indigenous descent. Eligible homeowners may earn no more than 80 percent of Honolulu's median household income.
"The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is excited that homesteaders who are moving into Kaupuni Village will reap the benefits of a neighborhood designed with the Native Hawaiian culture, the environment and sustainability at its heart," Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Alapaki Nahale-a said. "By furnishing this project with high-quality solar panels and valuable expertise, partners like SolarWorld have made this net-zero community truly an environmental success story."
A typical home comes with 26 245-watt SolarWorld Sunmodules, for a total system size of 6.37 kilowatts. Honolulu-based Bonterra Solar undertook the solar-electric installations throughout the project, partnering with Inter-Island Solar Supply, a SolarWorld distributor since the early 1980s.
"We at SolarWorld are grateful to the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for demonstrating for the rest of the country that it makes good sense to harness the sun's ample energy to serve the combined sustainability goals of providing housing for low-income residents and switching to a nature-friendly energy source," said Kevin Kilkelly, President of SolarWorld Americas. "It's only fitting that a state known for its abundant sun and natural beauty would demonstrate its solar-energy ingenuity for the other 49 states."
For images and a blog of the dedication to be posted later today, go to SolarWorld's blog.
About SolarWorld (www.SolarWorld.com):
The SolarWorld group (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high-quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany. The group's largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro, Ore. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports care projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs more than 3,300 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.
Contacts:
SolarWorld Americas
Ben Santarris
Head of corporate
communications and sustainability for the Americas
Mobile:
503-927-9858
Office: 503-693-5189
ben.santarris@solarworld-usa.com
