Hawaii Harnesses the Wind

By CLAIRE RANGEL
Wind projects are spearheading Hawaii's goal to be a model of clean energy independence for the rest of the U.S.
The state is home to pioneering new technologies in wind power. Proposed projects include the construction of an underwater cable system to transfer electricity, generated from new wind farms, across the islands. There are also efforts to sequester wind power generated at night for use during the day.
Hawaii, like the rest of the U.S., is trying to shift away from fossil fuels because of concerns about climate change and energy independence. But the move seems more urgent there, as Hawaii is more dependent on petroleum than any other state.
Hawaii's electricity prices are the most expensive in the country, and the state relies on imported oil to fuel power plants and meet 75% of its electricity demands. When oil prices peaked at $147 a barrel in the summer of 2008, the cost of electricity in Hawaii was five times that of the mainland.
Michael W. Allman, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation, said that "Hawaii will value energy storage and renewable energy more than anyone else as it's completely captive to oil and its volatility, which puts an economic squeeze on the state."
Six wind power farms are in development, with a supply capacity of over half a gigawatt, said Ted Peck, state energy administrator for Hawaii.
First Wind Hawaii's 200-megawatt facility on Molokai and Castle & Cooke's 200-megawatt unit on Lanai are two of the biggest farms planned, intending to feed one of Hawaii's most ambitious schemes under its Clean Energy Initiative—the Interisland Wind Project.
Hawaii wants to transport the 400 megawatts generated from the farms, located on two of the smaller and most rural islands, to Oahu, the most densely populated and biggest electricity user in the state, via an undersea cable system. A longer-term target is to connect Maui and the Big Island to the project.
It would be the first time the Hawaiian archipelago would be interconnected for electricity, a "big breakthrough," said Peter Rosegg, spokesman for the Hawaiian Electric Co.
Hawaiian Electric, a partner in the Interisland project, will upgrade Oahu's power grid and operations system to accept the new wind power supply and will run the cable system. Mr. Peck said the goal is for the underwater cables to be laid by 2013.
But Hawaii's bid for more wind faces a big challenge: Wind doesn't blow all the time. In Hawaii, wind typically picks up at night, when electricity demand ebbs.Devising a workable battery storage could help harness that energy.
First Wind is testing a utility-scale battery at its 30-megawatt Kaheawa Wind farm on Maui, according to Mr. Peck.