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Coast Guard converts Maui lighthouse to a ‘green house’
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Posted on Feb 05 2009
[B]LAHAINA, Hawaii[/B]—Senior Chief Petty Officer David Garrett and his crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team, Honolulu, converted the third lighthouse in Hawaii to solar power Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009.
The ANT pulled the plug on the 93-year-old lighthouse and ended many years of reliance on Maui County’s local power plant.
“With the new developments in light emitting diode technology, these solar projects have been possible,” said Senior Chief Garrett, officer in charge of the ANT Honolulu and an instrumental leader in the ANT’s ‘solarization’ project.
“These changes are being evaluated for every aid throughout the island chain that relies on shore power,” said Garrett. “The energy saving is one part but the continuity of operations is the main goal, if power goes out these lights will not.”
‘Lahaina Light’ sits on the site of the first lighthouse in Hawaii where, in 1840, King Kamehameha III ordered a nine-foot wooden tower to be built as an aid to navigation for the whaling ships that anchored off Lahaina. The lamp at that time was lit with oil and a man was stationed there at night to ensure it stayed lit. The tower was increased to 26 feet in 1905 and rebuilt with the present tower in 1916. [B][I](USCG)[/I][/B]
