REC Solar, a Mainstream Energy company and a provider of home, commercial, government and utility solar electric systems in the United States, congratulates Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) on being awarded the Utility of the Year at the Solar Power Generation USA (SPG) conference last week in Las Vegas. The award recognizes KIUC’s decision to develop a 12-megawatt AC (14.5 MW DC) project in partnership with REC Solar. The installation will be the largest solar project in the state, located on Hawaiian Homelands in Anahola on the northeast side of Kauai.
SPG recognized KIUC for its commitment to renewable energy. REC Solar’s project will bring KIUC’s integrated solar capacity to nearly 20 MW, and is the second project REC Solar has developed for the utility. The partners previously collaborated on a 1.21 MW system in Kapaa, which, at peak, has generated enough electricity to supply up to 100 percent of the entire circuit's 1 MW load. When the current project is completed, KIUC expects to have more solar concentration than any other utility in the United States, a feat highlighted by conference organizers.
The four award winners were chosen by the industry to recognize achievements in the field of utility-scale solar power generation in the United States. The other three award recipients are First Solar for Photovoltaic (PV) Project of the Year; BrightSource’s Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System for Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) Project of the Year and Soitec for CPV Breakthrough Achievement of the Year.
SPG featured more than 60 subject matter experts speaking across four dedicated channels: Concentrated Solar Power, PV, CPV, and Operation and Maintenance. Attendees included hundreds of senior-level leaders in project development and finance, solar technologies, policy, utilities and grid connection.