Duke Energy’s nonregulated commercial brand, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, has designed and constructed a campus-wide renewable energy system at Brigham Young University-Hawaii (BYU- Hawaii) with rooftop solar, carport solar and battery energy storage. The system contains Tesla Megapacks.
The estimated annual electricity production of the entire project will be 6.37 MWh – enough to meet an estimated 39% of the university’s energy needs each year.
“This project has made BYU-Hawaii more eco-friendly and reduced our environmental impact,” says Kevin Schlag, operations vice president. “The combination of solar and battery storage is a smart solution that will allow us to support our students and their education more sustainably by potentially saving the university over $20 million in utility costs over the system’s life.”
Located on 100 acres in Laie on the island of Oahu, the university’s renewable energy project consists of three rooftop solar installations, five solar carports throughout the campus, including its main parking lot, and 7,324.8 kWh of battery storage.
“Now more than ever, universities, companies and municipalities are powering their infrastructure using renewable energy to ensure sustainability and reduce carbon emissions,” states Chris Fallon, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions’ president. “We’re proud that we were able to deliver the faculty, students and administration of Brigham Young University-Hawaii a renewable energy solution that positively impacts the local environment and reduces the university’s impact on the energy grid in Hawaii.”
The university financed the project through a 20-year power purchase agreement with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
