SolarCity is breaking new ground and blurring the lines between utility-scale solar installations and simple residential rooftop arrays.

The company started work this week on a new solar project at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. The project involves installing solar panels on 600 residential rooftops that could supply power to more than 2,000 residents living on the military base.

Hickam Air Force base is a fully functioning military base with a number of on-premises housing units for soldiers.

SolarCity plans to install solar on all of the residential buildings that have suitable roofs without too much shading.

“The buildings where we’re installing the panels, a lot of them are multi-family residences,” said Jonathan Bass, spokesman for Solar City. “So there are multiple units in some of the buildings.”

That’s how the 5-megawatt solar project will be able to provide power to more than 2,000 people.

He said the project is not expected to provide all of the power for the residential development on the military base, but it is expected to significantly offset the power use and expense, Bass said.

He said that all of the properties run on the same meter, which helps the dispersed generation achieve a greater efficiency.

The array will be one of the largest in Hawaii, according to a press release from SolarCity.

Hawaii suffers some of the highest utility costs in the country, and typically leads the nation in the cost of power.

“Electricity is very expensive in Hawaii,” Bass said. “It’s because they rely on fossil fuels for power generation.”

Hawaii does generate most of its electricity using fossil fuel plants and has to import all of those fuels from other locations.

The state is aggressively pursuing a solar and renewable energy future and has a number of other solar installations going in on all of its islands.

Aside from providing residents a cost savings on their utility bill, it will help the military base meet a new federal mandate to increase renewable energy production by 25 percent in 2025.

“Entering into this power purchase agreement with support from Air Force leadership has given us an opportunity to give back to our families today and into the future,” Jerry Schmitz, project director of Hickam Communities, was quoted in a press release. “In addition to reducing emissions, money saved can go back into maintaining our community and providing services and programs for our families.”