Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross goes solar

The American Red Cross’ Hawaii Chapter has installed a 62-kilowatt photovoltaic system at its Diamond Head headquarters and expects to save about $500,000 in energy costs over the next 20 years. The photovoltaic system was designed and installed by RevoluSun and generates 45 percent of the nonprofit’s electricity.

The Red Cross was able to pay for the system’s $309,000 cost using foundation grants and corporate donations to match a federal stimulus grant. The organization also recently renovated its headquarters on Diamond Head Road and bought a new generator for use during emergencies.

Instead of locking in a lower rate for energy costs through a power purchase agreement, the nonprofit decided to own the system and eliminate as much of its power cost as possible, said CEO Coralie Chun Matayoshi. “Now we can use the money that would have paid for electricity to go toward our mission of saving lives and giving hope to those in need.”

(Under a power purchase agreement, a third party owns the photovoltaic system and sells the electricity back to the customer at a favorable rate. PPAs allow photovoltaic customers to enjoy the benefits of lower-cost energy without paying the upfront costs and have been the choice of many nonprofits.)