Hawaii Plans Solar for 256 Schools

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that Hawaii’s Department of Education hopes to put photovoltaic arrays on all of its 256 schools, within the next five years.

Reporter Mary Vorsino writes that the school districts spent $47 million for electricity during the last academic year, at an average cost of about 39 cents per kilo-watt-hour. The Department of Education hopes to cut that rate roughly in half, with no upfront costs, through power-purchase agreements. By 2040, the department hopes to use 90 percent local renewable power.

The state, which spends about $40 billion annually to ship in oil, has targeted 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030. The current renewable portfolio standard target is 15 percent by 2015.