Kyocera Solar Helps Hawaii's Auto Dealers Steer Clear of High Energy Prices

Car dealerships and auto parts stores are helping to drive solar installations on the island of Hawai’i in America’s 50th state.

Today, Kyocera (News - Alert) Solar Inc., a division of the Kyoto, Japan based Kyocera Corporation, announced that it has supplied modules to Hilo, Hawai’i-based ProVision Solar that will, in turn, be used to power a total of eight auto businesses on the Big Island.

The PV systems atop Kama’aina Motors; Kama’aina Nissan; Parts Center Hawai’i, Captain Cook; and Parts Center Hawai’i, Kamuela are fully operational, with the remaining four installations—at Hilo Used Cars; Parts Center Hawai’i, Hilo; Kona Nissan; and Kona Chrysler— scheduled for installation during 2013.

Above, the PV solar roof at Kama’aina Nissan already is saving money.

Along with its beautiful beaches and lush rainforests, Hawai’i also has some of the highest electricity rates nationwide in the United States. Depending on a business’ size and power consumption, current rates are between $0.37 and $0.47 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). With such high rates and the availability of federal and state tax credits to offset the purchase of photovoltaic systems, solar has become the smart choice for local businesses and homeowners. While the cost of grid electricity will likely continue to rise, a solar photovoltaic (PV) system guarantees greater stability in fixed cost structures.

“Since December 2012 we’ve installed a combined total of 234.7kW on four of these [dealerships’] rooftops, which are already producing clean, renewable electricity from the abundant Hawaiian sunshine,” said Marco Mangelsdorf, president of ProVision Solar. “The real-world performance of these roof-mounted systems, which produce up to 100 percent of the power needs of the businesses, have made true believers of the owners.”

Wanting to work with a local, experienced Big Island-based integrator and a veteran photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer with decades of proven success, the business owners chose ProVision Solar Inc. and Kyocera solar modules for all eight facilities. With a 37-year history of innovation in solar technology, the company is recognized as an industry pioneer and has set repeated world records in multicrystalline silicon cell efficiency

“ProVision Solar is Hawai’i’s oldest brick-and-mortar pure PV company and has a strong understanding of Kyocera's history in solar with a reputation for reliability and efficiency,” said Steve Hill, president, Kyocera Solar Inc. “The solar modules for these eight installations will allow these businesses to reduce one of the high costs of doing business on Hawai'i for the next 20 years or more, while also helping to preserve the environment of this beautiful island.”