A $14-million investment is set to transform the through the design and construction of a large-scale photovoltaic (PV) system paired with battery storage. This major renewable energy initiative will significantly expand the campus’s sustainability efforts while securing its energy future.

The project will feature solar panel canopies installed over existing parking areas, transforming them into dual-use infrastructure that generates clean energy while providing shaded parking for the campus community. Planning and design are currently underway, with construction anticipated to begin in August 2026.

Supporting critical functions

Once completed, the system is projected to produce approximately 2.38 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power the equivalent of about 270 Â鶹´«Ã½ homes each year. The project is expected to support the UH System’s broader net-zero energy goals, contributing to both systemwide sustainability targets and supplying an estimated 50% of the net-zero energy needed to power the UH West Oʻahu campus. The next phase of the university’s efforts to become fully net-zero is the replacement of its chillers with new high efficiency units and control systems. That upgrade is planned for fiscal year 2027.

The solar canopy will span multiple parking lots across campus and include an industrial-scale battery storage system designed to enhance operational resilience. In the event of a power outage, the system will be capable of supporting critical campus functions, an especially important feature within ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s isolated island electrical grid.

“The new PV system is designed to offset 100% of the campus cooling load, significantly reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels while lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” said Miles Topping, director of energy management for the UH System. “Producing clean energy while providing shade just makes sense, it’s the right thing to do, and it also strengthens our resilience as a community.”

Campus buildings

All campus buildings at UH West Oʻahu are LEED-certified and incorporate energy-efficient systems, each supported by approximately 100-kilowatt solar installations. The campus also utilizes rainwater catchment systems for irrigation and benefits from proximity to public transportation, including on-campus bus and rail service.

The project is being delivered through a combination of funding sources, including roughly one-third campus funding, one-third state capital improvement program funds, and one-third federal tax incentives.

Project management is led by the UH Office of Project Delivery and the UH West Oʻahu Office of Planning and Design. The team also includes local industry partners Elite Pacific Construction and RevoluSun.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ has 28 buildings certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, part of the nation’s green building standards, which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We have the largest inventory of sustainably designed buildings out of all the state agencies, and we are about to increase our inventory by 14%, once again leading by example,” said Miles Topping, director of energy management.

The certification system evaluates projects across multiple categories, including energy efficiency, water use, materials selection, waste management and indoor environmental quality. To achieve certification, projects must first meet prerequisite requirements and then earn points by meeting specific sustainability criteria. Projects undergo a verification and review process before being awarded one of four certification levels: certified, silver, gold or platinum.

UH System ratings

Across the UH system, certified facilities include two platinum, 14 gold, 10 silver, and two certified buildings, reflecting the university’s commitment to sustainability and efficient campus development.

UH has adopted green building practices that require new construction and major renovation projects to meet LEED standards, with a minimum certification target of silver. These standards are incorporated into university policy to ensure sustainability is integrated into the planning and design of campus facilities.

Several upcoming UH Mānoa construction projects also aim to meet the LEED Silver standard, including the Student Success Center, the Bachman Hall renovation, the Seed Lab, and the Snyder Hall Replacement Building. Once completed, these additions are expected to increase the university’s LEED-certified building inventory by 14%, growing from 28 to 32 certified facilities.

While LEED projects may involve slightly higher upfront construction costs due to sustainable design and materials, the long-term benefits often outweigh the initial investment. Many certified buildings incorporate features such as low-flow toilets and faucets to conserve water, bike facilities, natural landscaping and energy-efficient systems, including renewable energy technologies.

Find more information on UH’s LEED Portfolio.

In 2025, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System has achieved 20.49% of its goal to become net-zero, according to a recent report submitted to the Â鶹´«Ã½ State Legislature. The target is for all 10 UH campuses to produce as much renewable energy as they consume by January 1, 2035.

The report details the UH System’s progress toward the initial production target of 198 million kilowatt-hours (kWh). For the reporting period of July 2024–June 2025, UH successfully generated 40,577,541 kWh of renewable energy. This figure is expected to rise as several recently constructed solar systems were not yet energized during this performance period.

“Reaching this 20% milestone is a testament to our ingenuity in the face of a mandate that requires us to hit net-zero by 2035 (a full decade ahead of the rest of the state) without additional resources,” said UH Vice President for Administration Jan Gouveia. “Because this aggressive goal came without financial support, we have had to be creative, securing our own funding through long-term strategic partnerships. Most importantly, we have turned these practical challenges into opportunities for our students, utilizing the pursuit of net-zero as a living laboratory to train the next generation of leaders in environmental innovation.”

Future plans for energy independence

To maximize its energy independence, the UH System has outlined several key plans. These include refining its strategic energy plan to better balance renewable generation with improved energy efficiency measures.

“Reaching over 20% of our net-zero goal is a critical milestone that reflects years of strategic planning and dedicated effort across all 10 campuses,” said Miles Topping, UH director of sustainability. “This progress shows our deep commitment to a sustainable future for Â鶹´«Ã½ and demonstrates the tangible impact of our investments in renewable energy and efficiency. Our focus now is accelerating the deployment of new PV projects and energy storage to maintain this momentum and hit our 2035 target.”

Future efforts will focus on maximizing the development of photovoltaic (PV) and other renewable energy sources, and expanding energy storage capacity to increase overall grid resiliency. UH will continue to upgrade lighting, HVAC and lab equipment. New construction and major renovations are required to aim for at least LEED Gold certification and strive for net-zero designs, ensuring UH’s infrastructure supports its long-term sustainability mission.

Aspiring filmmakers are invited to submit a short film pitch for the Sustainability Pitch and Media Competition 2025. Hosted by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System Office of Sustainability and the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ , this year’s theme is Local Food Production and Consumption.

The competition encourages filmmakers to turn their creativity into impact by using storytelling skills to pitch eye-catching short films that do good for the planet. Three pitches will be chosen. Winning pitches will earn $200 each. Those produced within the academic year will earn an additional $800.

online. Submissions are due November 20, at 11:55 p.m.

Application requirements

• Written pitch for a short film between 15 seconds and 2 minutes long.
• A written description of your idea (100–300 words max).
• A single PDF (4–8 images) showing your concept, visual style, and story progression.
• Pitches must be original (no overlap with class assignments).

Pitches will be judged by community professionals, and finished films will be shared with the UH community and beyond.

For more information, contact Associate Professor Laura Margulies at lmarguli@hawaii.edu.

Members of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ recently visited Normal Robotics Lab, an innovative technology startup based in Kailua.

For UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ students engaged in energy and sustainability research, the visit provided a firsthand look at how local startups are addressing global challenges through innovation rooted in Â鶹´«Ã½. Normal Robotics Lab offers internship and job opportunities to students, with the goal of keeping talented graduates in the islands while contributing to renewable energy and sustainable design.

“Tours like this are so valuable because they connect students with innovative local companies and job opportunities, highlighting Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s potential to be self-sustaining,” said Miles Topping, director of sustainability at the UH Office of Sustainability.

Normal Robotics Lab develops energy-efficient, modular heat pump .

During the visit, students and faculty heard directly from co-founder Ashten Akemoto, who shared the lab’s journey from passion project to growing startup. What began as a side project when its founders converted a 1968 Volkswagen bus into an electric vehicle sparked a larger mission: to create sustainable technology that blends hardware innovation with climate-conscious design.

“The tour was very interesting and informative,” said student Kiet Nguyen, “The thing that stood out to me the most about the heat pumps was how simple they were to have working but also how complex they could get.”

Five University of Â鶹´«Ã½ campuses—UH Mānoa, Â鶹´«Ã½ Community College, Windward Community College, UH Maui College and Honolulu Community College—have been featured in on October 21.

The guide profiles 388 colleges that foster a culture of environmental responsibility and demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability.

“We are continuously growing sustainability across UH’s planning and operations,” said Miles Topping, UH Office of Sustainability director. “These efforts have been ongoing for many years and getting recognized is reinforcement that this is the right thing to do. We will continue to work with departments, students, agencies, and utilities to advance sustainability through engagement, outreach, planning and projects, and continue leading by example.”

The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on a 2024–2025 survey of administrators at 401 colleges about their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges about their “green” campus experiences. The school selections were based on more than 25 data points from the surveys.

“It’s great to see UH Mānoa recognized for its sustainability efforts across the spectrum of academics and campus life,” said Makena Coffman, UH Mānoa director for the institute of sustainability and resilience. “Sustainability is a focal point for UH Mānoa curriculum, and it’s been so rewarding to see the rapid growth in student engagement.”

Of the more than 7,000 students the company polled for its 2025 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 59% said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend the school.

The profiles in the Guide to Green Colleges detail the schools’ uses of renewable energy, their recycling and conservation programs, and the availability of environmental studies in their academic offerings. The guide also provides a “Green Rating” for each school on a scale of 60 to 99.

Campus distinctions:

• UH Mānoa received a Green Rating of 82.
• Â鶹´«Ã½ CC received a Green Rating of 84.
• Windward CC received a Green Rating of 81.
• UH Maui College received a Green Rating of 84.
• Honolulu CC received a Green Rating of 85.

The Princeton Review has published its Guide to Green Colleges annually since 2010.

Significant upgrades across the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ campus demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency. With the support of , UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ has completed several energy-saving projects including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and LED upgrades that reduce energy consumption and lower operating costs.

“These projects happening around campus are all important steps toward a more energy efficient campus and ultimately becoming a ‘net-zero energy’ campus,” said engineering student Nicolas Atkins.

Lighting the way

Several buildings on the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ campus have transitioned from outdated, inefficient lighting systems to new LED installations.

Teams replaced nearly 1,800 dim, high-pressure sodium lights in the Zone 20 parking structure, saving UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ around $470,000 on its annual energy bill and earning a rebate amount for $260,000 from Â鶹´«Ã½ Energy for this retrofit.

UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s Office of Sustainability, Â鶹´«Ã½ Energy, and UH Athletics teamed up to improve the lighting at the Stan Sheriff Center. Funded by the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ , 139 outdated lights were replaced with state-of-the-art LEDs, bringing the arena up to broadcast quality while cutting energy use by 462,630 kWh annually. That’s more than $138,000 a year saved in electricity—plus a $46,000 rebate from Â鶹´«Ã½ Energy to reinvest in future projects.

The machine shop upgraded its 20 HighBay fixtures, earning nearly $750 by improving lighting quality and reducing maintenance. On top of the rebate, the new lights are projected to save enough energy to power a 10-minute hot shower for 40 days, or 5,645.26 kWh annually—resulting in about $1,600 in savings per year.

The Agricultural Science Building’s 29 downlights and 12 corn cob lights were replaced, earning a $532 rebate and cutting annual energy use by approximately 8,011 kWh per year.

“Small but impactful upgrades like this help us move closer to our sustainability goals,” said Miles Topping, director of sustainability at the UH Office of Sustainability. “By switching to LED lighting, we’re not only cutting costs but improving lighting quality, reducing maintenance and also contributing to a more energy-efficient campus.”

Additionally, one of the latest initiatives includes the installation of an advanced HVAC occupancy control system at Sakamaki Hall, which earned an estimated $13,642.20 rebate. This system is designed to optimize HVAC usage, reducing energy consumption during off-peak hours and when the building is unoccupied.

For more on UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s energy efficiency, go to the UH Office of Sustainability.

Eight University of Â鶹´«Ã½ students showcased their research, hands-on practice and community collaboration at the inaugural Office of Sustainability open house.

The student presenters detailed their projects’ data and research, and laid out plans for action toward UH’s long-term sustainability goals.

Projects included waste reduction, energy monitoring, green purchasing and renewable energy initiatives across UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹.

“These projects are like a living learning lab,” said Ruby Aliason, Office of Sustainability marketing coordinator. “The students are applying what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges at UH and they’re making a real difference.”

Taking UH into a sustainable future

Kristine Joyce Locquiao, a senior electrical engineering student centered her research around outdated analog gas meters at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹.

“Currently, someone has to physically walk around once a month to record [gas] readings. This process is not efficient, and it also means we do not get any live data or early insights if there is a problem,” Locquiao said.

She and her team in the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) program are installing a small computer to take photos of gas meters and automatically read the dials.

A student-centered approach

The Office of Sustainability hopes the event will highlight student contributions in sustainability beyond the classroom as many students are interested in sustainability but do not have the capacity to take related courses. However, their work often informs campus decision-making on issues such as recycling and energy efficiency.

Plans include making the open house an annual event and expanding project opportunities for students to create stronger links between student-led projects and the university’s sustainability goals.

“These student projects aren’t just important to the mission of our office, but they’re important for promoting sustainability for the future of all of UH,” Aliason said.

—By Grant Nakasone

A survey by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Office of Sustainability found that more than one million plastic bottles were kept from piling up in landfills thanks to water refill stations around the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ campus.

Cherish Hose, a UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ student and sustainability analyst at the Office of Sustainability, led the refill station project. In June 2024, she identified which buildings on campus had a water refill station compared to a water fountain.

She found that there are a total of 38 water refill stations, and that out of all 46 upper campus buildings, 20 were equipped with a working station.

Using the digital meter on every station, she then calculated the amount of water dispensed and the equivalent of plastic bottles that were saved from landfills.

According to her survey, from June 2024 to March 2025, a total of 1,070,251 plastic bottles were saved over 273 days, amounting to about 3,920 bottles saved per day. The two stations at the Warrior Recreation Center saw the most usage with a combined 680,000 bottles saved in less than a year.

Cherish said the real number of bottles saved is most likely much higher as more stations could be installed in buildings with little to no refill options.

“The numbers prove the effectiveness of these stations,” she said. “Every bottle matters when you’re trying to minimize pollution, especially from plastic.”

A student-centered approach

Cherish, a student at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹, said she was taken aback by students buying water from the campus market or using their meal plan swipes to fill up their bottles. Instead, she wants to spread awareness to students, faculty and community members that free water refill stations are available.

“Until I worked for the Office of Sustainability, I didn’t know that many buildings around campus have free refill stations,” she said. “I started this project to spread that awareness to the community, especially UH students.”

Through this project, Cherish hopes that students will take advantage of the current stations to both save money and decrease plastic pollution and waste from disposable water bottles.

Before she expects to graduate in December 2025, Cherish’s end goal is to spread as much awareness about the effectiveness of the current water refill stations as she advocates for more to be installed at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹.

“Easy and free accessibility to water, especially for our busy students and faculty, is one of the most important and overlooked parts of our day-to-day lives,” she said.

— By Grant Nakasone

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s Moore Hall recently improved recycling efforts with 12 new Tri-Stream waste bins through an Office of Sustainability pilot program in partnership with . This makes Moore Hall the first upper campus building to implement recommended improvements to waste management conditions, leading the way for future recycling initiatives at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹.

The new bins are on the first through fourth floors, matching the Tri-Stream bins already in use at the Life Sciences building.

These updated bins combine three waste streams in one container: Trash, HI-5 recycling and paper. Previously, students, staff and faculty only had two options: Trash and HI-5 Recycling.

“The more waste options you give people, the better decisions they make,” said Miles Topping, the director of energy management at the UH Office of Sustainability. “Especially with clearly labeled streams, people are able to make informed decisions about where to put their waste.”

Reducing waste, lowering costs, lessening environmental impact

The added paper section makes it easier to divert paper waste and HI-5 containers from the landfill, while reducing the total weight of campus trash, lowering hauling needs and costs, and lessening UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s environmental impact.

Diverted paper is sent to be picked up and repurposed for composting or recycled into new products.

“I think that everybody should have access, to be able to recycle and make a small change in their lifestyle,” said Giada Colombo, an incoming UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ graduate student and energy policy analyst at the UH Office of Sustainability who helped to install the new waste bins. “A lot of students that I’ve talked to on campus are always looking for new ways to be sustainable.”

The UH Office of Sustainability has assessed the rest of the building throughout upper campus for their existing waste management conditions and made recommendations for improvements.

“We are excited to bring this pilot program to Moore Hall, and hope to expand our efforts across campus,” said Topping.

—By Josslyn Rose