ProVision Technologies, Inc - Press -
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Published on: 5/31/2001
Last Visited: 7/5/2008
Steve Burns, an engineer who spent seven years at HELCO developing its photovoltaic program, said his new firm, ProVision Technologies, is the first in Hawaii to offer the Big Island's off grid homeowners a ready-to-go solar electric system.
The difference between this system and previous solar electric systems is that this is pre-engineered, pre-packaged and ready to go, Burns said, adding that the traditional approach is for the off-grid customer to buy a bunch of components and piece them together.
The problem is that the systems are not always designed properly and are without certain safety features.You can have huge battery packs that can explode, Burns said.If it's not done properly, it can be dangerous.
ProVision's Solar Powerhouse system is completely self-contained, without panels on the roof or batteries in the basement, Burns said.The system was designed by Paauilo firm Renewable Energy Services.
The benefit to the homeowner is that we can deliver the system virtually the same day it's ordered, connect it up and have it hooked up when it's dropped off at the customer's home, Burns said.
Before launching ProVision's products at the beginning of the year, Burns and his colleagues did a five-year study to explore the potential of solar energy.
The Big Island has one of the greatest concentrations of solar electric use in the United States because thousands of properties are not served by HELCO, Burns said.
The reason we started here was because the Big Island has the largest number of off-grid properties (in the islands), Burns said.We estimate it to be greater than 10,000 properties.
Ironically, Burns' company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HEI).HELCO is a subsidiary of the Oahu utility Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. which in turn is a subsidiary of HEI.
HEI realizes if they don't do it, somebody else will get involved with (solar power), Burns said.The fact is this technology has come to the point where it's becoming economically viable.
The cost of extending overhead power lines runs about $3,500 per pole, with poles about 200 to 250 feet apart, Burns said.For people whose homes are five or more poles away from the nearest utility pole, it's worth considering a solar electric system, Burns said.
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Burns said that the Sheas' three-unit system, which in rainy Honomu (or Hilo) generates about seven kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, is the largest that a household is likely to need.
It depends on where you are to determine how many kilowatt-hours of power you'll end up with, Burns said.Obviously, the sunnier the better.
A two-unit 1,200-watt system costs roughly $30,000 and a one-unit 600-watt system costs about $22,000.
Burns said he and his colleagues consult with the homeowner to decide what the energy needs are.Off-grid homeowners are likely to use propane to run certain appliances, such as the range, clothes dryer and hot water heater, he noted.
Once you eliminate those appliances from the energy mix, then the resulting (solar energy) needs of the home are relatively modest, Burns said.
The Hilo company is the sole Hawaii distributor of SunSlates, a photovoltaic roofing material that combines silicon chips with a slate-like roof tile.
It's a little more expensive than add-on solar panels, but you're getting both a roof covering and electric power, Burns said.
A roof with SunSlates goes for about $15,000 and provides four to six kilowatt-hours of electricity power day.
A system like this would provide up to a third of a home's energy requirements, Burns said, adding that a typical homeowner uses around 15 kilowatt hours a day.
New legislation passed in May could sway grid-connected homeowners to install solar power systems, Burns said.
The state legislature recently passed House Bill 173 that allows up to a half of 1 percent of a utility's peak demand to come from solar or wind power generators whose owners produce more electricity than they need.
The incentive for the homeowner is that net metering allows him to store electricity produced during the daytime with the utility company and use it later.The utility acts as a big battery for the homeowner, Burns said.
(Net metering) will be the beginning of residential, grid-tied solar electric in Hawaii, Burns said.Net metering is something we anticipate a lot of people will want to take advantage of, because they want the energy independence and the added utility reliability.
While state tax incentives for going solar are admittedly modest for residential solar systems -- $1,750 max for commercial users the tax breaks are sizeable, Burns said.
In Hawaii, there's a 35 percent state tax credit that comes off the system's cost, with no cap, plus a 10 percent federal tax credit and a 4 percent capital goods excise tax credit, Burns said.
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