Hawaii’s Biggest Solar Project Is On Kauai
But it’s not nearly as big as others that stretch out in communities in the Western U.S.
A small island in the middle of the Pacific is doing some big things for renewable energy.
By the end of this year, generated on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai will come from a mix of renewable resources, including solar, hydropower and biomass.
The recent completion of is a big help toward that goal, as well as toward the aggressive statewide聽 by 2045.
Located in the small town of Anahola, along the island’s eastern coast, the is 60 acres — the size of about 45 football fields — and has 59,000 solar panels.
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative says it will replace 1.7 million gallons of imported oil per year and 聽— enough to power 4,000 homes.
While this is a big step for the Aloha state — as well as Kauai’s public utility co-op, the only utility in the state not owned by Hawaiian Electric Industries —聽the Anahola facility pales in comparison to the country’s largest solar power plants.
Take California’s 聽projects — the largest photovoltaic power plant on the planet. Completed this past June, this 579-megawatt monster in Antelope Valley, California, has more than 1.7 million solar modules and .
Upon its completion, Green Tech Media heralded it as a sign that “ is alive and well.”
Indeed, from the behemoths like Solar Star to the community-based efforts like Kauai’s Anahola facility, utility-scale solar is making its mark across the country.
In 2014, the utility photovoltaic sector — up 38 percent from 2013, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Below, take a look at the five biggest solar power plants (photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal)聽in the U.S.
The Solar Star Projects — Antelope Valley, California
This聽579-megawatt facility is the world’s largest photovoltaic power plant and generates聽enough electricity to power approximately 255,000 homes.
Topaz Solar Farm — San Luis Obispo County, California
The 550-megawatt facility, as pictured from space, produces enough electricity to power about 180,000 homes.
Desert Sunlight Solar Farm — Desert Center, California
Photovoltaic solar cells sit in the sun at the 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight Solar Farm during a dedication ceremony for the facility on Feb. 9 in Desert Center, California.
Copper Mountain Solar Complex — Boulder City, Nevada
President Barack Obama smiles while speaking at Sempra U.S. Gas & Power’s Copper Mountain Solar 1 facility聽in聽2012. The Copper Mountain photovoltaic聽complex collectively generates 458 megawatts, enough energy to power approximately 142,000 homes.
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System — Mojave Desert, California
Two of the three units at the 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are seen operating in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, it聽uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes.
