Solar Matters’ conceptual plan is to develop a community-owned bikeway extending from North Kohala to Kailua Kona on Hawai’i Island. We are studying the objective of applying solar-gathering pavers to the bikeway, so that it will simultaneously serve as both an energy grid and a public transportation corridor. The goal is to establish this pathway as a community-owned affordable energy resource that provides a safe, clean, night-lit path for our citizenry, the public and visitors while, at the same time, producing clean electricity. We call this path Ke Ala Lā (the Path of the Sun).

Under this plan, Ke Ala Lā begins with the conversion of a 15-mile section of railroad alignment abandoned in 1976 by the sugar cane industry to the first 15 miles of the bike path currently called for by the North Kohala Community Development Plan. The National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program has prepared a trail plan depicting this dormant railroad alignment. Beyond the railroad right of way, we are exploring land parcels that will support the route, paralleling the Kona Coast, from Hawi to Kailua Kona.

Our concept comes to life as an economic engine that supports high-paying and long-lasting employment with job training to make this goal possible. Solar Matters gives great consideration to the idea of a Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE) strategy. Using this strategy, citizens of North Kohala (or beyond) could invest in their own energy future and feel the benefit of Ke Ala Lā’s energy generation in the form of lower electrical rates. Hawaiʻi’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs outlines a plan for achieving this scenario. Kauai Island Utility Cooperative currently enjoys success under a similar business model. If, after thorough public vetting, community ownership is deemed desirable by the public, Solar Matters will, together with the CDP’s access group, help a yet-to-be-determined non-profit organization acquire title and stewardship of the railroad alignment and the entire 63-mile corridor, thereby helping oversee this grassroots business plan as the project becomes shovel-ready.

Solar Matters is investigating the feasibility of harvesting copious amounts of rainwater from North Kohala and directing it south, for agricultural usage, to the more arid regions of the Kona Coast. Water is critical to development–no water, no development. Water collection could be available through an innovative design that sluices rainwater from the path’s solar-paved surface and directs it to a channeled system in its recycled plastic substrate to be transported and tapped the length of the path. Additional channels in the substrate provide conduit for electrical and broadband/wifi cables. These Solar Matters life-giving features add immeasurable value to Ke Ala Lā, allowing the establishment of homes, gardens, businesses, etc., along the thoroughfare’s southern section.

For years, the IRONMAN World Championship’s bike route has caused local traffic consternation as riders, competing with cars, train and race on public streets and highways. We envision Ke Ala Lā relieving that community pressure by offering a world-class bikeway to IRONMAN and other local and international athletic competitions as it offers the owning community an additional revenue stream.