Today Hawaii has by far the highest electrical rates in the nation. The major reason its electricity costs are so high us that imported oil accounts for 90 percent of the remote state’s energy needs. The state’s ambitious goal is to generate 70 percent of its power from clean energy sources by 2030, and it is looking everywhere.

Solar is one component. State law now requires all new homes being built in 2010, at a minimum, include a solar system for heating hot water.

Biofuels is another, including fuel derivatives from sugar cane.

Water is yet another abundant resource that Hawaii sees as part of its energy future, but this is going well beyond typical hydro generation. “Our source is renewable — infinitely renewable,” said Tom Wilkolak, chief operating officer of Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning. The company is in the early stages of a $200 million construction project that includes building pipes that extend nearly four miles off the Honolulu shoreline to extract ocean water, bring it to shore and then run it through miles of pipe onshore to cool roughly 40 of the downtown’s largest buildings. Wilkolak said it will be equal to or less than the cost of electricity now, with a major environmental plus — offsetting about 178,000 barrels of oil a year.

Wind is another ample resource, though it took a spike in oil prices to the $150 a barrel range a few years ago to diminish the opposition to the 20-turbine wind farm that now sits on hillside conservation land overlooking Maui. “That was very helpful to everyone’s understanding of how important clean energy is,” said Noe Kalipi, director of government and community relations for First Wind. Some locals still don’t like the nearly 200-foot high turbines, but to others they are nicknamed the “angels on the mountain.”

The 20 turbines up and running have sensors that tell them to turn automatically to capture the wind in the most efficient manner. They run only part of the time because of technical issues related to Maui’s electricity grid. Still, they provide power to 11,000 homes on Maui, roughly 9 percent of its power needs.
There are plans in the works to double nearly the number of turbines at the Maui location, and other wind farms are in the planning stages across the state. “It is a very important piece of the future,” Kalipi said. “Valid sustainability, valid tangible proof that we can harness robust renewable resources to be able to generate electricity for our use.”

A new energy source, but this wind farm and those like it make only a modest contribution to what many — including President Obama — have predicted will be a “green jobs revolution.” About 200 workers were hired during the construction phase, but there are only seven full-time employees at the wind farm today, and three of those jobs are to make sure First Wind keeps its commitment to protect endangered species and upgrade and conserve lands on which the wind farm sits. To see them up close is a fascinating glimpse at one piece of Hawaii’s energy future — and the nation’s energy debate.

Each turbine has a computer station in its base that tracks its energy output and its maintenance needs. To get to the top requires climbing nearly 200 feet up a ladder in a cramped tube-like passageway. Near the top sits the massive turbine that generates electricity as the wind turns the giant blades. And just a few more steps up from that is a hatch to the top, where, in this case, a visitor gets a bird’s eye view of the neat line of turbines on a hillside and a spectacular panoramic view of Maui’s breathtaking landscape.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 5:11 pm and is filed under My Government, My Local. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.