Board warms to pair of proposed utility-scale solar projects on Leeward Coast

Two large-scale solar energy projects proposed for the Leeward Coast received generally favorable responses from members of the Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board during a meeting Tuesday evening.

The projects, one planned for a parcel next to Hawaiian Electric Co.’s Kahe Generating Station and the other in Waianae Valley, are among the first in a wave of utility-scale photovoltaic projects that are being proposed for 1,200 acres of land on Oahu by the end of 2016.

The Kahe project, proposed for a 50-acre parcel next to the power plant, would be the first solar farm owned by HECO. The second project, being developed by Florida-based NextEra Energy, is planned for 75 acres of low-grade agricultural land at Mountain View Dairy. NextEra is partnering with David Wong, who owns Mountain View Dairy.

Both projects are subject to approval by the state Public Utilities Commission.

Representatives from HECO and NextEra made presentations on the projects before the neighborhood board.

Board members Polly Grace and Patty Teruya said they supported the NextEra project because the revenue it generates would support the sustainable agriculture techniques being employed by Wong on his farm.

However, board member James Manaku said he was concerned that installation of the ground-mounted solar panels would reduce the amount of land available for farming.

Dawn Chang, a consultant doing community outreach for NextEra, responded that the land that would be occupied by the PV panels has an "E" productivity rating, the lowest of five categories of agricultural land. The panels would take up about one-third of the farm’s total acreage, she added. Chang also said that under the agreement NextEra would be obligated to remove the PV panels at the end of the 20-year contract.

The NextEra project is one of nine proposed PV farms on Oahu that HECO hopes will provide the utility with about 240 megawatts of generating capacity by 2016.

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the Leeward Coast, said she "adamantly" opposes the HECO PV project because it would despoil the natural beauty of the area.

However, Teruya said a low-profile PV farm is preferable to a plan that HECO floated 10 years ago to put wind turbines on the hillside above the Kahe Generating Station. Then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann killed the project in 2005.

Board Chairwoman Cynthia Rezentes echoed Teruya’s comments, saying the HECO PV project "is probably one of the less egregious projects" that has been proposed for the area.

CLARIFICATION: City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine says she “adamently” opposes Hawaiian Electric Co.’s plan for a solar energy project near the Kahe power plant. An earlier version of this story said Pine was “concerned” that the project would affect the natural beauty of the surrounding area.