4,260 Solar Modules to Cut HNL Electric Bill by Nearly 50%

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Courtesy photo.

In its continuing effort to be environmentally friendly, the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation will install 4,260 new solar modules on the 7th floor of the Terminal 1 parking garage (the former Interisland Terminal) of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

The solar modules are anticipated to generate 2 MW-DC/1.6 MW-AC, which is enough energy to power more than 328 homes (based on a full operational day of sunshine). Over the life of the project, the total energy saved could power more than 175,000 homes. The solar energy will be used at the airport facility and will reduce the overall electricity bill by nearly half.

“There is so much to like about this improvement project,” said Gov. David Y. Ige. “It’s good for the environment, it will save the state money and it provides covered parking at the airport. This is another step forward in my administration’s continuing mission to meet Hawai‘i’s sustainability goals.”

The solar modules will be installed on the roof level of the Terminal 1 parking garage above a new carport, which will also add shaded parking for vehicles, when complete. The project aligns with Gov. Ige and the State of Hawai‘i’s goal to be 100% renewable energy by 2045.

Overall, the contract with Johnson Controls Inc. will generate more than $600 million in guaranteed cost savings over the 20-year life of the contract at Hawai‘i’s airports, which began in 2014. It is the largest single state Energy Savings Performance Contract in the nation.

Construction is scheduled to be continuous from Aug. 20 through Nov. 16, 2018.

For safety purposes, 344 parking stalls on the roof of Terminal 1 will not be available during the renovations. Signs have been posted to alert passengers of the restricted parking during this scheduled construction.

The vehicle and pedestrian bridges from the Terminal 1 parking garage to the International parking garage will remain open for customers to access additional parking stalls.

HDOT will continue the energy saving improvements in early 2019 when work is anticipated to begin on the roof level of the Terminal 2 parking garage (formerly, the Overseas Terminal) for the installation of another solar canopy, which will create more sustainable energy and provide covered parking.

The construction activities will not impact flight schedules or airline operations.

In total at Hawai‘i’s airports, HDOT and Johnson Controls are completing more than 900 individual conservation measures, replacing nearly 98,000 light fixtures with high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) technology and energy efficient lighting, upgrading ventilation and air-conditioning systems and installing more than 21,000 solar photovoltaic panels.

The $207 million investment is financed from guaranteed energy savings, not taxpayer funding.