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Lanai Solar-Electric Plant

Solar power plant in Hawaii, United States of America. Approximate location 20.7667, -156.9233.

SolarHawaiiUnited States of America

Lanai Solar-Electric Plant is a 1 MW solar power plant in Hawaii, United States of America. It is operated by Lanai Sustainability Research LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 2 GWh, it can supply roughly 428 homes. It ranks #10247 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 8.6% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

1Source-backed capacity
2GWh reported / yr
428homes powered
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056667.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLanai Solar-Electric Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Hawaii WRI
Coordinates20.7667, -156.9233 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity1 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLanai Sustainability Research LLC WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
GWh reported / yr2 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#10247 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2809 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.40× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent428 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.5°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 45/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1 MW, Lanai Solar-Electric Plant is below the median solar plant in United States of America (3 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 2 GWh20132014: 2 GWh20142015: 2 GWh20152016: 2 GWh20162017: 2 GWh20172018: 1 GWh20182019: 2 GWh20192 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Lanai Sustainability Research LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen As) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.5°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,632cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
372 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 20 °CJF: 20 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 24 °CON: 23 °CND: 21 °CD24 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
45/100environmental-severity index
3.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
18 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2809 largest solar power plant of 3283 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 3283 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 38,093 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 20.7667, -156.9233 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lanai Solar-Electric Plant?

Lanai Solar-Electric Plant is a 1 MW source-record solar power plant in Hawaii, United States of America, commissioned in 2009.

How much electricity does Lanai Solar-Electric Plant generate?

Lanai Solar-Electric Plant generates about 2 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Lanai Solar-Electric Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 428 homes.

Who operates Lanai Solar-Electric Plant?

Lanai Solar-Electric Plant is operated by Lanai Sustainability Research LLC.

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