Alexis-Ann Acohido
Record-breaking Rooftop Solar Panel
System Installed at Gemini North
Gemini Observatory leads the way in the use of renewable energy
sources on Maunakea, as evidenced by the latest installation of PV
solar panels on the rooftop of Gemini North. This move toward a more
eco-efficient operation shows Gemini’s commitment to the positive
stewardship of our planet.
Figure 1.
The PV panels were
transported to the roof
by crane.
Photo Credit: Peter Michaud
The Gemini Engineering group has
finished the installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof of the
Gemini North telescope. Maui Pacific
Solar installed the panels and it took
about six weeks to complete.
“The PV panels [on Maunakea] are the
second highest in the world (the highest are in Tibet) by about 200 feet [~61
meters]”, says Maui Pacific Solar Founder and President Mike Carroll. “However, [Gemini’s] is the highest rooftop
mounted PV system in the world that
is connected to the utility”.
The solar panels will (conservatively)
generate about 10 percent of the power required to operate the Maunakea facility, and will
be roughly 70 percent more energy productive than the panels planned for installation on
the roof of the observatory’s base facility in Hilo. PV systems operating on Maunakea are more
efficient than at sea level for three important reasons: First, Maunakea receives on average
October 2015
GeminiFocus
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