Hawaii installs solar panels on top of a dormant volcano

REC Solar has actually completed the installation of a solar power plant at 13,600 feet (4,207 m) above an observatory in Hawaii, Ecotown reports.

The 133 kW solar project is located at the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. The panels were installed on the roof of the Keck Observatory telescopic installation. The system will generate 259.1 MWh of energy annually, which will minimize the observatory's electricity needs by about 15%.

Hawaiian Electric launched a photovoltaic system on September 30, 2020. The station has 332 solar panels strategically placed on a unique 20,940 sq. feet ballasted flat roof to avoid snow build-up, ice falling from domes and high winds that sometimes happen a couple of times a year.

The REC Solar team will continue to monitor as well as analyze these conditions for future high altitude solar installations.

 

Tags: renewable energy, solar energy, electricity market, ecology, decarbonisation, innovations

Read also

An Eye for an Eye: Ukrainian Power Engineers Demand Compensation from Russians for Destroyed Property
The Security Service of Ukraine issues suspicion notice to Russian billionaire for exporting raw materials for Rosatom from Ukraine.
ZELENSKY: Russian authorities are planning to blow up the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to destabilize Ukraine