Alternative Energy Development
Among the fifty states, Hawaii is a leader in developing renewable energy
resources. In a single year, renewable sources of energy such as biomass,
wind, hydropower, biogas, PVB and solar thermal have saved the State as much
as 3.5 million barrels of oil and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by an
estimated 1.9 million tons. However, Hawaii residents must take far greater
use of renewable resources if they expect to significantly reduce
dependence upon imported petroleum and associated pollution.
A number of applications of biomass, wind, hydropower and solar thermal are
presently cost competitive with fossil fuels. However energy obtained from
other renewable sources will not be economically feasible until it can
compete with petroleum in terms of cost. Biomass is the largest source of
renewable fuel in Hawaii. It consists primarily of bagasse, the fibrous
waste from sugarcane. Sugar mills use bagasse from sugarcane to provide
thermal power and electricity for sale to utility grids. Biomass is also
considered a potential source of fuel for ground transportation. In 1992,
bagasse created by the sugar industry and other forms of biomass provided
about 142.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity on the Island of Hawaii,
78.7 million KWh on Kauai, 157.2 million KWh on Maui, and 454.7 million KWh
on Oahu. Thus biomass produced about 8.2 percent of the State's total
electricity in 1992. The start up of coal fired cogeneration plant marked
a major achievement in reducing Hawaii's dependence upon petroleum. A 180
MW plant began full-scale operations on September 1, 1992. The plant
reduces Hawaii Electric Company's use of imported oil by about 5,500 barrels
per day, which is about 15 percent of their current use. The plant also
supplies 30,000 pounds of steam per hour to an oil refinery for use in
heating oil storage tanks. coal ash, the final byproduct of the power
plant, can be used in fertilizer, concrete block structure fill, select
barrow aggregate and as a cement replacement for the production for concrete
product. This coal plant provides about 11 percent of Oahu's electrical
generating capacity.
Geothermal
Of the many locally available energy resources, geothermal energy has been
viewed as the best near-term indigenous resource to meet the Island of
Hawaii's energy needs. The Puna Geothermal Venture began generating 25 MW
of electricity n mid-1993. The long-awaited production of electrical energy
from geothermal resources has alleviated some of the Island of Hawaii's
energy concerns and has contributed toward increased energy diversification
for Hawaii County. To help meet the Island of Hawaii's growing demand for
electrical energy, PGV uses modern reinjection technology to dispose of
spent gases and fluids from the production process. PGV's KS-9 and KS10
production wells, both completed in early 1993, have provided firm energy on
a continuous basis to Hawaii Electric Light Company. preliminary assessment
indicates that the wells have tapped a productive, high-pressure resource
capable of supporting the generation of additional power. Consequently, the
company has entered into discussion with Hawaii electric Company for the
possible expansion of production.
Hydropower
Hydrpower harness the energy in moving water to produce electricity. The
force of falling water or flowing streams spins a turbine that turns a
generator that produces electricity. Hawaii has a total of 20 hydropower
plants of .2 MW and more. Hydropower plants are economical and longlasting.
They usually cost less to operate than other generating plants. However,
the flow of Hawaii's streams varies considerably according to seasonal
rainfall. Therefore, hydropower in Hawaii is considered an "intermittent"
and not a "firm" resource. There are seven hydroelectric plants on Kauai.
They range in size from .5 MW to 3.7 MW capacity. They are operated by
sugar companies and furnish power for plantation and mill operations.
Surplus electricity is sold on Kauai Electric. Sugar companies operate four
hydroelectric plants on Maui. The largest has a capacity for 4.5 MW.
During 1992 these plants supplied about 2 percent of Maui's electrical
needs. The Island of Hawaii has nine hydroelectric plants.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Ocean thermal energy makes use of the temperature difference of the warm
ocean surface water and cold water in depths below 2,000 feet to generate
electricity. Net power can be generate electricity. Net power can
generated so long as a difference of 40 or more degrees Fahrenheit exists
between the warm upper layer and the cold deep water. Although OTEC has
been successfully tested in small plants, a pilot plant of commercial size
needs to be built to further document economic feasibility. At Keahole
Point on the Island of Hawaii, NELHA is considered the world's foremost
testing facility for OTEC and OTEC-related activities.
Solar Energy
Hawaii's location close to the tropical zone provides very high levels of
solar radiation (also called insolation). Using this radiation, solar
thermal power or PV power can provide Hawaii with several alternative
sources of power to replace imported petroleum. About 55,000 households in
Hawaii use solar water heaters, making Hawaii the state with the nation's
highest per capita installation of these solar devices. An estimated 1,000
or more residential and commercial PV installations are in use throughout
the state.
Wind Power
Hawaii has some of the best conditions in the world for wind power, and the
state was second only to California in commercial wind-energy generation.
Wind power in Hawaii now ranks third among its renewable resources that
provide electricity to the utility grids. Although most Hawaii wind farms
are small compared to Mainland installations, they contributed over 23
million kWh of electricity in 1992.
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