Project Name: Kahauiki Village

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Installed: 2018

Installer: PhotonWorks

When completed, Kahauiki Village will be home to 153 families that currently live in transitional housing on Oahu. It will also provide child care, preschool facilities and job opportunities for families, allowing residents the chance to earn income and be self-sufficient. And the clean energy system that’s powering all of this — well, it’s the first of its kind in the world. The homes — prefabricated, steel-framed boxes manufactured by a Japanese company called System House and purchased by Kurisu — are repurposed emergency housing units, originally deployed after the 2011 tsunami in Japan. The one- and two-bedroom units will rent for $725 and $900 a month, respectively, including gas, electricity and water — a fraction of the market rate. Renters will have a kitchen and bath, and access to outdoor fire pits, vegetable gardens, a communal laundry facility, and a childcare center, as well as a variety of other on-site services.

 

The creation of a microgrid and energy storage facility will allow Kahauiki Village to operate almost entirely off the grid.

PhotonWorks, a design-build general contractor with a focus on electrical- and energy-related projects and a passion for affordable and sustainable housing, worked closely with InSynergy Engineering on the microgrid design. 

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Application: Solar water heating for affordable housing complex (Comprised of 153 units)

Solar Collectors: SunEarth EP-40 & SunEarth SB-32

System Format: Solar pre-heated water for tenant’s water heaters