Young Brothers Goes Green with 400 Solar Panels

By Wendy Osher

Young Brothers is going green with 432 new solar panels installed at its Pier 40 location at Honolulu Harbor.  The 116kW photovoltaic system is capable of producing enough energy to power more than 1,000 light bulbs for a full year.

File photo.

The system provides nearly 70% of the electrical demand of the building, producing over 180,000 kWh of electricity each year.  Over the life of the system, Young Brothers is expected to avoid the release of more than 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide and other emissions into the atmosphere.

Island Pacific Energy, LLC installed the system using innovative tax equity financing that required no money down.  Since the savings in electricity is greater than their monthly lease payments, the savings were immediate.

Other benefits of the system are the ability of Young Brothers to pass savings on to its customers, and avoiding the complexity of tax credits, grants, or depreciation.

The photovoltaic installation includes a web-based monitoring and reporting system that enables users to track the energy generation. Live monitoring data is available via http://www.youngbrothershawaii.com.