Though, as usual, Santa and Mrs. Claus pose front and center at Honolulu Hale for the annual Honolulu City Lights celebration from December 3^rd through 31^st, this year’s holiday scene features a new supporting role: the Sun. Thanks to Sunetric, Hawaii’s leading solar design and installation company, the 2011 display is the first-ever entirely solar-powered one. 

The theme of this year’s holiday scene, consisting of an 8-foot diorama of Santa’s workshop and village, is “Santa Goes Solar,” and is sponsored by Blue Planet Foundation. The Lego Enthusiasts Association of Hawaii (LEAHI) constructed the display, along with members of the University of Hawaii Solar Decathlon Team Hawaii, who engineered the array of high-tech LED lights.

The diorama is powered solely by a solar photovoltaic canopy (producing 3.6 kWh a day) designed and built by Sunetric. A battery pack storing up to 6.9 kWh guarantees that revelers will be able to enjoy the lights well into the night.

Chief executive officer of Sunetric Alex Tiller says, “We are excited to work with the Blue Planet Foundation and showcase some of Sunetric’s most innovative technologies to reduce the carbon footprint for this dazzling display.”


Hours of engineering, design and construction work in addition to $5,000 in materials constituted Sunetric’s donation to the Honolulu City Lights celebration. Tiller adds, “It’s an honor to put the green in the green and red at Santa’s village this holiday season, and highlight the importance renewable energy in Hawaii.”

Visit sunetric.com or honolulucitylights.org for more information.