WAIKIKI, OAHU—Building on its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and being “green,” the 1,310-room Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has installed a new gridsmart solar panel lighting system in its outdoor parking lot, reducing its power consumption from 30,000 watts a day to 12,000 watts a day. The gridsmart solar lighting technology harnesses solar energy to power more than 45 percent of the needed electricity to run the lights at night.
“We continue to seek ways in which we as hoteliers and community members can do our part in protecting our environment,” said Chris Tatum, general manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, and vice president of Marriott International—North Asia, Hawaii and South Pacific. “We plan to install similar systems at our other Marriott Resorts in Hawaii in the future. It’s all part of Marriott International’s Environmentally Conscious Hotel Operations (ECHO) program, which focuses on five key areas including water and energy conservation, respecting and preserving wildlife, clean air initiatives, waste management and cleanup campaigns.”
Maui Solar Project, a Hawaii-based renewable energies firm specializing in the design and sales of solar electric, hot water and wind turbine systems, spearheaded this project and installation of the gridsmart solar lighting by Solar Street Lights USA.
“Gridsmart solar lighting is beneficial for the environment because it eliminates the need for battery systems which require maintenance and physical disposal every three to five years,” said Eddie Alberton, owner of Maui Solar Project. “We are pleased to partner with Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, furthering their ‘green’ initiatives and helping to protect our environment. This technology has countless numbers of applications for us here in Hawaii to help reduce our need for imported fossil fuels.”
Gridsmart solar lighting produces more than 85 lumens per watt, produces no flickering, strobing or noise, offers a long life (100,000 hours), and requires minimal maintenance. Gridsmart solar lighting uses existing electrical grids (instead of batteries) to store energy during the day. The local utility sells that power to others during peak hours, reducing the amount of fuel consumption to supply the city with electricity. The solar power generated throughout the day is credited and returned to Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa after peak hours, providing electricity to light the parking lot and thus reducing hotel costs.
Go to the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Maui Solar Project, and Solar Street Lights USA.
