Located only 50 feet from the Pacific, the Waipi’o project faces unique corrosion issues. Salty sea spray pummels the system’s piles and racks constantly. To counter this environmental challenge, Terrasmart designers armed its racking system to the teeth: the oversized piles are coated with epoxy for extra corrosion resistance; above grade the racking. Terrasmart utilized higher grade hot-dipped galvanization versus standard galvanization techniques. Working hand-in-hand with the Navy, Terrasmart finished the project by painting the entire racking system battleship gray in true nautical fashion.

Spanning 42 acres, the plant generates 33,400 megawatt hours of electricity per year, meeting roughly 14% of the region’s energy needs. In addition to saving taxpayers $1.6 million in its first year, the project replaced 54,000 barrels of imported oil, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tons.