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Kauai, Hawaii: the 24hr Solar-Powered Island

The viability for solar energy to produce the majority of power in remote locations, as commonly suggested for small sun rich islands, has always proven to be problematic due to the limitations of battery technology.

This is set to change, and Tesla has recently launched Project Kauai as it's first Solar + Storage energy solution since acquiring SolarCity last year. The installation of the 13 megawatt solar farm, supported by a 52 megawatt-hour battery facility, was commissioned by the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative with the aim of reducing the island's reliance on fossil fuels. Until now, the island of Kauai has relied on shipping in large amounts of diesel to fuel generators.

As this technology becomes more common and reduces in cost, will we now see more islands and remote communities commission similar projects to meet their plans for sustainable energy requirements?

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