A pizza restaurant, tattoo parlor, gift shop, fish market, and storage facility will be among those businesses getting much of their power supply from a 600KW rooftop solar PV array under construction in Honokowai, Maui, Hawaii. The array, said to be the largest commercial system on the island, will generate up to 2880KWh daily for the AAAAA Rent-A-Space center.

Local contractors Haleakala Solar began building the ~2000 crystalline-silicon panel system in June and expect to finish the job in September. A Level 2 electric vehicle charging station will also be installed at the site.

Once completed, the project will support the Hawaiian Clean Energy Initiative, which aims to have 70% of the state’s energy for electricity and ground transportation come from clean energy by 2030.

“Our family has done business in the Maui community for almost three decades,” said Michael Knuppe, co-owner of AAAAA Rent-A-Space. “We feel we have an obligation to be good stewards of the island and take the role of being positive, progressive members of the community very seriously. This project provides clean, quantifiable benefits to our center’s merchants, our community, and Hawaii as a whole.”

“Maui Electric is pleased to partner with AAAAA Rent-A-Space in embracing renewable energy and bringing our state closer to realizing our clean energy goals,” said Maui Electric’s  president, Ed Reinhardt. “We recognize that weaning our state from imported oil will require a diverse portfolio of clean energy sources and this project is yet another step in the right direction for Maui.”