Lahainaluna ʻOhana,

As we welcome students back onto campus for the start of the second semester tomorrow, I wanted to update you on the state of the Kuʻia Solar farm located next to campus. As was communicated before break, on December 20th and 21st the school went into a “Hold” protocol in response to fires at the solar farm. With the quick response from the Maui Fire Department and our Lahainaluna staff, the fires were extinguished and students were able to return to a normal school day. 

Since then, Kamehameha Schools, the landowner, and SSA SOLAR OF HI 2, LLC, the owners of Kuʻia Solar farm, have been working diligently to ensure the safety of our students and the Lahaina community. Here are the latest updates:

• Since Dec. 21, no further flareups have occurred at the site. 

• Solar technicians have disconnected all 12,000 -- or 100% -- of the solar panels from the system. 

• On Sat., Dec. 30, thermal readings were taken of the entire facility which showed no “hot spots” being emitted from the panels. 

• Since Dec. 21, KS has contracted a security firm to serve as firewatch to monitor the site around the clock. They will remain in place until the final findings from the energy consultant are received.

We want to thank Kamehameha Schools for their immediate concern and committed efforts to remedy this issue. We appreciate all they’ve done and feel confident to open school for students tomorrow.

Thank you again for all your patience and trust these past few months. It has been an unprecedentedly challenging time, but the pride, positivity, and enthusiasm of our students is what gives us hope for 2024.

Mr. Carosso