Makila Hydro LLC is the first recipient of an OptoGreen grant, an Opto 22 award of complementary automation hardware and software to businesses, research organizations, and other enterprises engaged in researching, designing, developing, or producing any product or service that promotes alternative or renewable energy or sustainability. Opto 22, a developer and manufacturer of hardware and software for industrial automation, remote monitoring, and data acquisition projects, made the announcement Jan. 10.

Makila Hydro LLC includes a group of renewable energy specialists from Hawaii Energy Group. It was formed in 2001 to restore, upgrade, and operate a hydroelectric generator at a refurbished sugar mill on the island of Maui. The utility company plans to use its donation of Opto 22 Snap PAC System hardware and software to upgrade and automate this generator and reestablish it as an environmentally clean producer of electricity.

“We expect the availability of OptoGreen grants will further encourage, support, and subsidize the sourcing and production of alternative fuels and renewable energy,” says Mark Engman, Opto 22 chief executive officer. “This program formalizes and defines a simple process whereby customers can easily procure and implement Opto 22 automation technologies to more quickly accomplish their goals.”

OptoGreen grants are designed to aid the efforts of researchers, systems integrators, educational institutions and individuals involved in environmentally conscious projects such as energy management, alternative fuels, biodiesel production, and recycling. Grant applicants can request complimentary hardware, software, and engineering consultations to assist them in their research or production efforts.

Launched in 2006, OptoGreen is a corporate initiative focused on environmental responsibility through conservation, recycling, and sustainability, Opto 22 says. Under this program, Opto 22 outlined and implemented a full-scale, company-wide energy conservation and reduction plan and other initiatives that ultimately resulted in the company reaching carbon-neutral status.

www.opto22.com

Editor’s note: “Green” manufacturing is rapidly emerging as one of the hottest trends in the industry today. For more on the topic, watch for the feature story in the April 2008 issue of Control Engineering.