Brigham Young University–Hawaii and Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions completed the campus-wide renewable energy system. The system's annual electricity production is estimated to meet 39% of the university's energy needs, significantly reducing its carbon footprint and dependence on the grid.
"This project has made BYU–Hawaii more eco-friendly and reduced our environmental impact," said Kevin Schlag, Operations Vice President.
The system includes rooftop solar, carport solar, and battery energy storage through Tesla Megapacks totaling 7,324.8 kWh of storage. The addition of this battery storage will allow the campus to operate during utility power outages and adds to the resiliency of the campus infrastructure.
These battery storage units can produce up to 6.4-gigawatt-hours of energy. It reduces the university's carbon dioxide emissions by 4,536 metric tons annually. That's equivalent to taking 977 gas-powered vehicles off the road or reducing gasoline consumption by 510,360 gallons a year.