“This is an interesting project because it allows us to expand on what we had previously built at the water park and help them gain an even greater benefit from the existing solar carports,” Sunspear Energy CEO Jeff Kaemmerlen said in a statement.
By Sophia Compton – Reporter, Pacific Business News
Jan 12, 2024
Sunspear Energy, a solar energy company based in Honolulu, recently announced it will expand the 1.3 megawatt solar carport system it previously installed at Wet’n’Wild Hawaii.
The project will include the installation of an additional solar photovoltaic system with a Tesla Megapack battery energy storage system. The addition of the battery will allow the park to store renewable energy and sell back generated power to the grid, according to the announcement.
The water park’s total annual operating costs are projected to decrease by more than $300,000 once the project is completed. A spokesperson for Sunspear declined to share details about the cost of the expansion.
In 2021, Sunspear installed the first phase of Wet’n’Wild’s solar carport system — consisting of 2,958 solar panels — making it Hawaii’s first 100% solar powered attraction, as previously reported by PBN.
Through this second phase, Wet’n’Wild’s renewable energy production is expected to increase by 181,535-kilowatt hours annually. In order to sell excess power to the grid, Wet’n’Wild will utilize the Grid Service Program incentives for commercial energy storage systems offered through Hawaiian Electric and Hawaii Energy’s Power Move program, according to the announcement.
“This is an interesting project because it allows us to expand on what we had previously built at the water park and help them gain an even greater benefit from the existing solar carports,” Sunspear Energy CEO Jeff Kaemmerlen said in a statement. “Building an energy model for the water park was complex because their hours of operation change during the year with the seasons. The battery system will create a new revenue stream for Wet’n’Wild while simultaneously reducing strain on the grid by dispatching power during the peak night hours.”
https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2024/01/12/sunspear-energy-renewable-energy-project.html
