Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) and REC Solar have launched a 12 MW solar project, which the companies say is the largest solar project in the state.
The installation will be located on Hawaiian Homelands in Anahola, on the northeast side of Kauai. Through a competitive bidding process, REC Solar was awarded the contract for the project in December. This facility will bring KIUC's integrated solar capacity to nearly 20 MW.
This is the second utility-scale project REC Solar has developed for KIUC. The two partners previously collaborated on a 1.21 MW system in Kapaa.
KIUC obtained approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service to reallocate $68 million of previously approved loan funds to construct integrated photovoltaic and battery energy-storage systems on Kaua'i. A portion of this reallocation will be used to fund the project. The funds originally were approved for a 10 MW combustion turbine generator often referred to as Gen X or CT2.
