Solar energy at its finest in Hawaii
In the sunny state of Hawaii, residents have set a lofty goal: 70% of the energy generated across the island archipelago state must be from renewable sources by 2030.
Yet, even though the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative sets the standard high, many people in this South Pacific area of the United States have not – or cannot – switch to solar power.
Up-front costs for installing solar power are still quite high, even though solar rebates and incentives are very generous and solar panel prices have fallen by 50% or more in recent years.
However, most residential solar panel systems still run about $30,000 retail, and residents of Hawaii have not been able to tap into programs that can defray these upfront costs, like solar leasing from companies including SunRun and Sungevity.
Other challenges that add to potential solar barriers in Hawaii include:
- Shading from palm trees
- Lack of net metering programs
- Rising electricity rates
- No Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs
- Salty atmosphere, from ocean breezes, which requires additional precautions with respect to solar panel installations, and a more limited life-span overall, due to environmental considerations.
Notwithstanding these challenges, many believe that breaking solar barriers in Hawaii will take not much more than determination and will. In addition, there is good news for solar in Hawaii, that has been building for the past 2 years:
There are a number of commercial solar installations in Hawaii, from the Lihu’e Airport on Kauai to the Kona International Airport at Keahole, to the Hilo International Airport, as well as the DOT Highways Division Baseyard in Lihu‘e, and the Nawailwili Harbor DOT Administration building.
With time, and hopefully more solar energy-based programs, we should see the breaking of solar barriers across Hawaii in the near future. And that may mean more residential and commercial solar installations!
Tags: hawaii clean energy initiative, hawaii solar, solar barriers, solar energy, solar hawaii, solar installations, switch solar power
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