Ameresco, a renewable energy company based in Framingham, has begun construction on its new 131-acre solar energy plant in Hawaii.
The Kūpono Solar Project facility is expected to produce 42 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power the equivalent of approximately 10,000 homes on the island of Oahu, reducing Hawaii’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 50,000 tons.
The project is a part of the joint venture started in 2021 by Ameresco and Phoenix-based Bright Canyon Energy to support the U.S. Department of Defense’s long-term energy security program intending to bolster reliability and military capabilities of clean energy, as well as increase decarbonization. As such, the companies have entered a 37-year land lease agreement with the U.S. Navy.
“Today, we are taking significant strides to strengthen our state’s energy security and resilience, and thanks to the ‘Ewa community, Navy, Hawaiian Electric, Ameresco and Bright Canyon Energy, we are now steps closer to reaching Hawaii’s renewable energy vision of achieving 100% clean energy by 2045,” Hawaii Lt. Governor Josh Green said in a Tuesday press release.
The project is set to be completed in early 2024.
