DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Sheep graze on grass growing under the solar panels of Waihonu Solar Farm, which can power 1,000 homes on Oahu. When mowed, long grass releases dust particles that settle on the solar panels, reducing their efficiency.
Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
The landscapers at Hawaii Gas’ new solar farm on Oahu get paid in grass.
The state’s gas utility held a blessing Thursday for a 6.5-megawatt solar farm in Mililani on Thursday, and the guest of honor was a herd of sheep.
The sheep eat the grass under the solar panels of Waihonu Solar Farm and reduce dust that would be kicked up from traditional grass-cutting. That dust can lower the efficiency of the solar panels. And the sheep don’t rely on gasoline to keep the grass cut. So in effect, the sheep are helping to reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported oil.
Hawaii Gas President and CEO Alicia Moy said that’s why the utility has gotten into solar.
“We are committed to contributing to clean energy in Hawaii and believe we should do our part,” Moy said in an email. “We recognize there must be a balance of various clean energy resources as our state transitions away from oil.”
“This project allows us to broaden our portfolio of clean energy by adding solar power,” she said.
The Waihonu Solar Farm will have the ability to power 1,000 homes on Oahu. The project will sell electricity to Hawaiian Electric Co. for 23.6 cents per kilowatt-hour over 20 years.
“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Hawaiian Electric in pursuing the shared goal of increasing renewable energy for Hawaii,” Moy said.
The Waihonu Solar Farm and the Kapolei Sustainable Energy Park, another solar farm, are the two most expensive utility-scale power producers on the Oahu grid, both priced at more than 23 cents a kilowatt-hour.
Macquarie Infrastructure Co., parent company of Hawaii Gas, invested $6 million to build Waihonu Solar Farm.
