REC Solar installs specialized project at observatory atop dormant volcano in Hawaii

• REC Solar, a company device of Duke Energy, has actually completed the globe's biggest business planetary system at the highest possible elevation of 13,600 feet atop the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.

The 133-kW solar project-- situated near the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii-- lies on the roof of Keck Observatory's telescope facility, between the domes of the double Keck I and also Keck II-- among the globe's largest optical and infrared telescopes. The system will annually generate 259.1 MWh of energy, which will certainly minimize the observatory's electrical power requirements by about 15%.

" Incorporating renewable energy generators such as solar PV is necessary to Keck's core values of stewardship as well as solution. It will certainly lower our dependence on electrical energy acquired generally from fossil fuels, which underscores our initiatives to be good guardians of the earth," claims project lead Mark Devenot, infrastructure specialist at Keck Observatory.

Hawaiian Electric accepted operation of the PV system on Sept. 30, 2020. The system contains 332 solar panels that are strategically put on the unique 20,940-sq.- ft ballasted roof to avoid snow as well as ice fall from the domes, along with high winds that sometimes happen a couple of times a year.

" One of the most significant obstacles was affixing the PV range to this type of roof, which has no structural framework to anchor the system," states Devenot.

To resolve this issue, the planetary system was customized engineered for the special ballasted roofing style and to sustain high winds. The group also needed to manage operating at high elevation, which balanced 40% much less oxygen than mixed-up level.

" Incorporating roof solar at Keck Observatory has been a special experience for the REC Solar team due to the project's concentrate on scientific research, safety and also innovation," says Dan Alcombright, handling supervisor, development application at Duke Energy. "Our group remained considerate of land and also wind constraints throughout construction and leveraged our local experience and detailed weather condition data to designer solar with specialized mechanical attachments that can manage the wind gusts and also climate of a Pacific island at high elevation. We're pleased to be able to offer Keck with a practical power solution that positively impacts both their company and also the environment."

At high altitude, the panels will capture a lot more photons and produce even more power than at sea-level areas. This is since sunshine atop Mauna Kea does not have to travel through as much of the Earth's ambience where the photons could be absorbed by another thing. Having 40% less environment, which is just one of the reasons that makes Mauna Kea one of the most effective put on Earth to perform astronomy, likewise makes for efficient solar power generation.

This new rooftop solar installation at Keck Observatory's telescope facility on Mauna Kea provides an one-of-a-kind study opportunity for the team to collect data on exactly how solar panels operate in a thinner ambience with a high UV index as well as under higher than ordinary winds. The REC Solar team will certainly remain to keep track of and also analyze these conditions for future solar installations at high altitudes.