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BusinessHawaii News

State to harness idle solar farm for fresh water

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COURTESY NATURAL ENERGY LABORATORY OF HAWAII

A Kona energy lab plans to make drinkable water using an abandoned $20M solar farm.

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COURTESY NATURAL ENERGY LABORATORY OF HAWAII

This abandoned solar farm at Keahole Point was built by local technology company Sopogy Inc. in 2009 at a state technology park in Kona. Sopogy went out of business in 2014. The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, a state agency and landlord, has found a new use for the facility to help turn salt water into fresh water under a federal grant aimed at advancing desalination technology.