June 15, 2015

Hawaii OKs SunEdison's Major Solar Farm On Oahu's North Shore

SunEdison’s 50-megawatt solar energy farm on 382 acres within the Kawailoa Plantation on Oahu’s North Shore that’s owned by Kamehameha Schools got the green light from the state on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the California-based energy giant confirmed to PBN.

 
The Hawaii Land Use Commission granted SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE) a special-use permit for the project, which would be co-located withing its existing 69-megawatt wind farm on agricultural lands.
 
Another aspect of the project is having agricultural activities at a heavily discounted lease rate to a lessee, which includes raising sheep. The heights of the solar panels will provide sufficient space for sheep to graze underneath the panels.
 
The commission said in its ruling that the solar farm complies with the uses of the land, including having compatible agricultural uses.