The Big Island can now boast as having the second-highest solar panels in the world.
The Big Island can now boast as having the second-highest solar panels in the world.
The Gemini Observatory atop Mauna Kea announced last week it completed installing the panels on the telescope’s roof. The panels, installed by Maui Pacific Solar, will be capable of providing about 10 percent of the facility’s power needs and will be connected to the electrical grid within a month.
“The PV panels (on Mauna Kea) are the second-highest in the world by about 200 feet,” said Maui Pacific Solar Founder and President Mike Carroll in a written statement. “The highest are in Tibet.”
Because of the extreme elevation, Gemini officials said the panels at the observatory will be 70 percent more effective than those that will be installed at its base facility in Hilo.
The telescope is located at the summit of Mauna Kea, which is 13,796 feet above sea level.