Mahalo to Pearl City Elementary School Principal Dr. Susan Hirokane and her wonderful students and staff for inviting me to take part in the lei cutting ceremony on Wednesday for the school's new covered parking photovoltaic PV solar renewable energy system that was recently been constructed in the school parking lot.
Pearl City Elementary's new photovoltaic PV system is a part of the DOE's Ka Hei energy efficiency and sustainability program. The DOE has partnered with OpTerra Energy Services along with collaboration with Hawaiian Electric Company to provide DOE schools across the state with covered parking and rooftop photovoltaic PV solar renewable energy in the coming years. So far, ten schools are under construction with twenty more schools scheduled by the end of the year.
The Ka Hei Program is a five year project that not only provides schools with cost cutting renewable energy, but also serves to teach and educate DOE students the importance of renewable energy, a sustainable future, and just how the photovoltaic PV system works along with its renewable energy infrastructure.
The Pearl City Elementary School students who participated in Wednesday's lei cutting ceremony did a great job in performing for the events special guests as well as showing their excitement and enthusiasm for the new covered parking photovoltaic PV renewable energy solar system that is just a few weeks away from flowing cleanly through their classrooms.
“It’s great on many fronts, “said Dann Carlson, DOE Assistant Superintendent, Office of School Facilities and Support Services. “Obviously anytime you get out and see the kids and celebrate something like this with the opening of one our very first PV initiatives with our Ka Hei Program, but to be able to share it with the kids. This is a whole part of our Ka Hei program is really bringing an awareness in to the students and from an academic side as well. We’re not only just putting PV in, but we’re combining that with a curriculum. It’s even activities like this where the kids can actually say hey those are photovoltaic and have a better understanding as to how that can reduce our energy usage as far as us generating energy through PV panels.
This is part of our very first group of nine schools that we went with covered parking. As part of our first phase we have about twenty-eight schools that we are doing both covered parking and rooftop PV, as far as our PV initiatives. Again, this is a multi-tasked Ka Hei Program. It’s a five year long program, again Generation being a very important part of it from a fiscal perspective. The beauty of this is there were no upfront costs to the DOE. This is all done through a PPA (solar power purchase rate). We negotiated a very, very competitive PPA rate, one of the best in the state that allowed us to get the covered parking as well. It’s kind of a double benefit.”
“It’s really great being here today to see the kids so excited about our renewable energy future," said Brian Kealoha, Regional Supervisor, OpTerra Energy Services. "With the installation of these PV solar canopies that not only provides clean renewable energy, but also provides covered shaded parking for the teachers as well. We’re in the process right now of phase one of our roll outs. It’s a five year program, so we have ten schools that are under construction right now with twenty more that will be in construction by the end of the year. So far, everyone’s been pretty excited. Obviously it’s been a bit of an inconvenience during the construction phase, but once we’re complete, everyone loves the benefit of having the covered parking as well as really being able to drive down the department’s energy costs. We’re going to be finished with the electrical work here soon. We’re going to finish all the structural work and the electrical work will follow in a couple weeks. This is a 100kw rated system, so it will produce about 50-60% of this school’s energy needs. I definitely want to thank Pearl City Elementary who has been a great host for us as we went through this project. Also, the department who has a really had a great vision on a sustainable future.”
“I want to thank Dann Carlson, DOE Assistant Superintendent, Office of School Facilities and Gilbert Chun of the Ka Hei Project who sponsored the grant money to support efficient energy use," said a very grateful and appreciative Dr. Susan Hirokane, Principal, Pearl City Elementary School. " Also, thank you to Brian Kealoha, Regional Supervisor, OpTerra Energy, our contractor on the project.”
To learn more about the DOE Ka Hei Program, log on to: http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/Organization/SchoolFacilities/Pages/Ka-Hei.aspx
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Thank You For Supporting the Future of Our Keiki!
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
(Pictured from L-R) Barry Villamil,, MyPearlCity.com, Dann Carlson, DOE Assistant
Superintendent, Office of School Facilities and Support Services, Dr. Susan Hirokane,
Principal, Pearl City Elementary School, and Brian Kealoha, Regional Supervisor,
OpTerra Energy Services. Mr. Carlson and Mr. Kealoha are holding gift baskets
presented by PCES students to thank them for providing the photovoltaic PV solar
renewable energy system to the their school. A newly constructed PV canopy
is pictured in the background. It is one of three that occupy the PCES parking lot.