 In June 2013 the Navy planned to install 60 @,@ 000 photovoltaic panels over 28 acres ( 11 ha ) on the Ford Island runway , to comply with Congressional and Defense Department mandates to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and offset the cost of Hawaiian energy ( the highest in the United States ) . This plan deviated from a 2009 proposal ( using the panels to define the runway ) in favor of panels producing twice the power . The Navy offered the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor $ 250 @,@ 000 toward renovation of the control tower 's elevator in exchange for its support of the plan . The museum declined , organizing an internet campaign opposing the plan based on the runway 's historic significance and highlighting Ford Island 's role in the attack on Pearl Harbor and Amelia Earhart 's visit . In response , the Navy decided to install the panels on existing structures around Pearl Harbor . 
