Construction to Begin on Big Island Solar Farm

Sopogy is finally moving forward with the construction of its one-megawatt solar farm at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii (NELHA) after a year of working through state and county permitting processes.

The Keahole Solar Power concentrated solar farm will break ground Wednesday at NELHA, in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. The project is using $10 million in state-backed special-purpose revenue bonds, approved during the 2007 legislative session.

Honolulu-based Sopogy said the solar farm will be built in phases over several acres and is the first of its kind to use the company's proprietary MicroCSP technologies.

The company said it had been conducting research and development, as well as waiting for permits to construct the solar farm.

Once the first phase of the project is completed, Keahole Solar Power will produce electricity for over 100 homes. The one-megawatt solar farm will be capable of powering 500 homes and offsetting over 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the company said.

Unlike photovoltaic cells that convert light to electricity, Sopogy's proprietary solar technology uses curved mirrors to intensify and focus the sun's energy to heat mineral oil, which is then used to drive turbines and generate electricity. 

Honolulu-based Sopogy was recently recognized by the National Society of Professional Engineers for its MicroCSP technologies.

The company's SopoNova 4.0 solar collector was named product of the year at the society's annual conference, which was held in Portland, Ore., this year.

Sopogy was the first renewable energy and solar technology to ever be awarded the honor, the company said.

"After 40-plus unique prototypes and thousands of engineering hours invested in the SopoNova product line, this award from one of the nation's most respected engineering societies is tribute to Sopogy's spirit of innovation," said Darren T. Kimura, CEO of Sopogy, in a statement.