Industrial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  February 10, 2022

Mauna Loa Hawaii Plant Powered by Solar

The Mauna Loa processing plant in Kea‘au, Hawaii will now receive 85% of its power from solar energy with the completion of a 1.2 MW solar farm and 500 kW battery storage system. 

The addition complements the existing clean energy sources at the facility, which will now be powered by 100% renewables.

The system is expected to generate 1.55 million kWh of solar energy annually, avoiding over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year. The solar installation, completed in partnership with No Ka Oi Energy, includes 2,916 solar panels laid out across three acres on Mauna Loa’s macadamia nut farm.

 Mauna Loa is working to reduce its carbon footprint and its Hawaiian crop of macadamias is grown with only rainwater. The company also aims to avoid waste by using the whole nut during its production process, cleanly burning the shells to create renewable energy, and composting the nut husks to enrich the local community’s soil.

 “Hawaiian Host Group’s purpose is to make the Islands’ future flourish, and partnering with DSD has enabled us to fulfill a large portion of our vision for a clean energy future,” said Ed Schultz, President & CEO of Hawaiian Host Group, the parent company of Mauna Loa, in a statement. “This project nicely complements Mauna Loa’s on-site water and wastewater system, and with the addition of the renewable power system, our Kea‘au facility can now be 100% self-sustained. We will continue to learn and take action to minimize our environmental impact as much as possible and care for our ʻāina (land).”

 No Ka Oi Energy in Maui brought the project to DSD and assisted in development. DSD will be the long-term owner and manager of the solar and storage assets.