Since 2007, Tim has served in the roles of Vice President of Administration, Corporate Secretary and Chief Financial Officer at SOPOGY where in 2009 he was recognized by Pacific Business News as one of Hawaii’s top CFOs. Between 2003-2007, he was a Securities Administrator with Hawaiian Electric (NYSE: HE) where he participated in a $265 million bond issuance and assisted with the implementation of the company’s Sarbanes-Oxley compliance program. Previous positions include Assistant Controller for Spirent Communications Inc. (LSE: SPT), Assistant Vice President for Central Pacific Bank (NYSE: CPF) and he began his career at KPMG, LLP in 1990 where he achieved the title of Senior Auditor and earned his CPA. He is a Certified Real Property Administrator and earned his B.B.A. in Accounting and B.B.A. in Management Information Systems from the University of Hawaii.

In 2009, Keahole Solar Power inaugurated “Holaniku at Keahole Point” Hawaii’s first Concentrating Solar Power farm. That Research, Development and Demonstration facility based on the Big Island of Hawaii produces two megawatts of thermal energy and incorporates two hours of thermal energy storage. The project has a Power Purchase Agreement to sell 500 kilowatts of electrical energy into the Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) grid. Additional thermal energy is used for advanced research and development experimentation that includes steam energy production, new turbine reliability, testing and demonstration, desalination testing and demonstration, new generation collector testing and certification, baseload simulation testing, as well as numerous other proprietary applications.

About Keahole Solar Power
Keahole Solar Power, LLC (KSP) is a diversified clean energy development company with three business units: KSP Development, KSP Energy and KSP Innovation. KSP Development is focused on the project development of utility scaled solar farms throughout Hawaii. KSP Energy owns solar farm assets and operates these facilities. KSP Innovation developed proprietary thermal energy storage, solar farm controls, system operations and has ongoing activities in helping make our solar projects more efficient.

Our goal is to develop 30 megawatts of solar technology in Hawaii by 2015.

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS AND KEAHOLE SOLAR POWER PARTNER  FOR 5 MEGAWATT CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER PROJECT

Honolulu, HI—Sept 16, 2010— Keahole Solar Power, LLC signed a lease agreement with the State of Hawaii, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) for land in Kalaeloa.  The land will be used as the home for Hawaii’s largest Concentrating Solar Power project the 5 Megawatt “Kalaeloa Solar One.”

“This partnership is the first renewable energy project for DHHL.  It is a result of the departments’ energy policy (Hòomaluō), demonstrates DHHL’s commitment to a clean energy future and supports the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative,” said Kaulana H.R. Park, Chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.  “Kalaeloa Solar One will incorporate the latest generation in solar technology, provide income revenue rent for the department, and a portion of the lease rent proceeds will fund an educational renewable energy program for native Hawaiians.  This project will also support the Hawaii economy by creating local jobs on the island of Oahu.”

Concentrating Solar Power is a very unique approach to solar power generation.  The technology uses mirrored reflectors and optics to intensify solar energy, which raises the system’s energy efficiency.  The solar panels track the sun through-out the day which increases the amount of kilowatt hours the system produces annually and the field includes thermal storage which enables energy to be produced during clouds or at night. 

“KSP’s goals are to bring 30 megawatts of solar power to Hawaii by 2015.  While very ambitious, we believe the low cost and thermal storage benefits found in Concentrating Solar Power technology are especially good for Hawaii’s ratepayers and the Smart Grid,” said Edward Lui, member of the Board of Directors at Keahole Solar Power.

The project is expected to break ground late 2010 and is estimated for completion by 3^rd quarter of 2011. 

In 2009, Keahole Solar Power inaugurated “Holaniku at Keahole Point,” Hawaii’s first Concentrating Solar Power.  That facility, based on the Big Island of Hawaii, produces 2 megawatts of thermal energy and incorporates 2 hours of thermal energy storage.  Energy from Holaniku is sold to the Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) grid under a Power Purchase Agreement approved by the Public Utilities Commission.

About Keahole Solar Power

Keahole Solar Power, LLC (KSP) is an independent clean energy company with three business units:  KSP Development, KSP Generation and KSP Innovation.  KSP Development is focused on the project development of micro-utility scaled solar farms in the 1-25 megawatt class.  KSP Generation is our independent power producer that operates our renewable energy assets.  KSP Innovation developed proprietary thermal energy storage, solar plant controls, system operations and has ongoing activities in helping make our solar projects more efficient.

Our goal is to develop 30 megawatts of solar technology in Hawaii by 2015.

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Contact:

Sheldon Char
Project Executive
schar@kspenergy.com
Phone: (808) 729-2300

Holaniku, the Big Island’s largest solar farm, will begin providing power to the Hawaii Electric Light Co. grid in a few weeks once some final contract items are complete, said Darren Kimura, founder and chief executive officer of Sopogy Inc. and Keahole Solar Power LLC.

“The energy is being mixed into the HELCO grid so any savings are blended,” he said when asked if Holaniku will produce enough power to reduce consumers’ power bills. “The goal over time, however, is for us to get enough solar energy produced from this and many other solar farms so we could eventually see a positive impact on the power bill.”

During Thursday’s blessing, dedication and activation of Holaniku, Kimura proudly gazed out at the more than 1,000 solar collectors on 4 acres at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. With the flip of a switch, each of the half-barrel-shaped devices came to life slowly, turning over from a resting position, their sensors tracking the sun.

The 500-kilowatt-capacity solar farm can power more than 250 homes, which would result in the offset of 6,600 tons of carbon emissions over 30 years, and eliminate the need to import more than 2,000 barrels of oil annually, Kimura said.

“Hawaii is 90 percent dependent on imported fossil fuels,” he said. “Using Sopogy’s technology, we efficiently convert our abundant solar energy to create power, keeping our dollars in our local communities, creating high paying jobs for locals and helping Hawaii become more self-sufficient and sustainable.”

A major milestone for Kimura is that the technology was made and tested in Hawaii, but can be exported. It was designed to be installed and serviced by local contractors without specialty training,

Gov. Linda Lingle called the activation of Holaniku “a proud day.” She said the state is paying $5 billion to $7 billion annually to purchase imported oil and it needs to reduce its dependence to achieve an economically secure future. She also praised Kimura and the Sopogy team for their innovation, as well as helping reach the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative goal of having 70 percent of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2030.

However, Lingle said new technology wasn’t enough, claiming regulatory framework and healthy utilities are key components to get where the state needs to be. She mentioned reforms like a price guarantee, or feed-in tariff, for electricity produced by renewable energy sources and decoupling, which takes separates revenues from sales of electricity.

Click Photo to Enlarge Darren T. Kimura, CEO and founder of Sopogy Inc., welcomes Gov. Linda Lingle as she takes the podium to make a few remarks to a crowd gathered for the dedication and blessing of Holaniku at Keahole Point. – Brad Ballesteros | Special To West Hawaii Today

Holaniku — named for a location in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands said to have everything needed for mankind to survive — is Hawaii’s first concentrating solar power project and the first time microconcentrating solar panels have been used to produce power, Kimura said.

Through mirrors, optics and an integrated sun tracker, the project’s panels achieve higher efficiencies than conventional flat plate solar panels. Collectors reflect and concentrate sun energy, as well as heat liquids to steam temperature. Heat can produce steam to turn turbines connected to electrical generators. The system also uses a thermal energy storage buffer that allows energy to be produced during cloudy periods, storms, rain and flying debris. It can shift energy produced from the day to evening, Kimura said.

“Helping the local engineers and contractors become familiar with this technology required some time. We’ve been testing technology in Kona since 2002 and many of the early solar collectors didn’t quite work well enough for one reason or another,” he said. “It all finally began coming together in 2006 and we were able to overcome these issues through the vision and tenacity of our team who never gave up and kept the faith, even in those difficult early days.”

This roughly $15 million project was funded by Sopogy and local investors. Sopogy seeks to eventually expand the solar farm and has potential plans for the project to get up to 10 times larger. It would also like similar solar farms to be built along the Kona Coast, Kimura said.