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Tesla's New Solar Energy Station On Kauai Will Power Hawaii At Night (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the the-future-is-bright dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: The Kapaia project is a combination 13MW SolarCity solar farm and 53MWh Tesla Powerpack station on the island of Kauai. In partnership with the KIUC (Kauai Island Utility Cooperative) the project will store the sun's energy during the day and release it at night. The station (along with Kauai's other renewable resource solutions including wind and biomass) won't completely keep the island from using fossil fuels but it will temper the need. In addition to using Tesla's station to battle the island's incredibly high electric bills, it's also part of a long-term Hawaii-state plan to be completely powered by renewable energy sources by 2045. Kauai has its own goal of using 70 percent renewable energy by 2030. With this project the island is getting closer to that goal and can now produce 100 percent of the energy it needs during high usage mid days and low loads via renewables during a brief period of time. The island state doesn't have the benefit of a massive grid like the mainland to pull electricity from sources hundreds of miles away. Instead each island has to take care of its own energy solutions. According to Tesla and the KIUC, the 45 acre Kapaia project will reduce the use of fossil fuels by 1.6 million gallons a year. You can view Tesla's Powerpack and solar farm on Kauai here.

3 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. It'll never work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hawaii doesn't get enough sun!

    They should just burn dead dinosaurs like Good Americans.

    Sadly, they would rather be a foreign country. Notice how they faked Obama's birth certificate.

  2. Re:Not well thought out by AHuxley · · Score: 3, Funny

    Re 'Also, what happened to your radars if/when the island's power failed?"
    Japan takes advantage and expands it Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

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    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  3. Re:Wonderful, they are buying less fuel by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1, Funny

    BUT, they still need the full complement of diesel generators for those times when the sun doesn't shine enough to keep the batteries charged.

    Excuse me but are we talking about the same Hawaii?

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    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.