14 DAY TRIAL // Given the fact that the runway at the Pearl Harbor military base is presently unused, the country's Navy saw fit to look into the possibility of installing solar panels within its perimeter and thus help boost the country's green energy production.
Truth be told, it has not been long since we reported on the fact that the US military intended to see to it that most of its electricity demands were met with the help of renewables, so it should not come as such a big surprise that efforts are being made to exploit whatever resources this naval warfare service has at its disposal.
However, in the aftermath of World War II, both historians and several ordinary folks consider this particular military base to be sacred ground, given the fact that countless Americans lost their lives here when the Japanese army launched their blitz attack.
In case anyone was wondering, the year 1964 also witnessed this runway, together with its surrounding military perimeter, being listed as a National Historic Landmark, meaning that those opposing this project rely not just on their personal opinions when voicing complaints about it.
Sources inform us that, should the US Navy have its way, as many as 60,000 solar-energy panels would be installed both on said runway and on roughly 14 acres of land that surround it.
Apparently, the US Navy is dead set on using this location for the building of a new solar farm intended to up its dependence on renewables due to the fact that local environmental conditions more than allow for efficiently harvesting solar power.
However, Ken DeHoff, presently employed as director for the Pacific Aviation Museum, wished to emphasize the fact that, “We totally agree with [the Navy] being green, but we don't think they should do it where Americans spilled their red blood.”
Furthermore, “There's plenty of room for them to create this project off to the west, which is just scrub oak and abandoned land. (…) This is an area that the kids play in, and they're going to cover it up and put a 7-foot high fence around it and basically make the place a monstrosity.”
Apparently, the US Navy agreed to also assess other locations that might be suitable for such a solar farm, so we can only hope that further information on this topic will soon be made available to the public.