Wind Power News: Hawaii
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Castle & Cooke CEO Murdock appears to be moving ahead with Lanai wind farm
Castle & Cooke Inc. CEO David Murdock — who kept the rights to build a wind farm capable of producing up to 400 megawatts of renewable energy when he sold the majority of Lanai to Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison last June — is apparently moving ahead with his plans. Sources tell Pacific Business News that Cultural Surveys Hawaii Inc., which does archaeological cultural and historical research and field services throughout the state, has been conducting archaeological surveys in the . . .
Kahuku wind farm safety called into question
It’s been seven months since a fire knocked the Kahuku wind farm offline. Work is underway to rebuild but some want a second look to see if the project is even safe. Kahuku’s First Wind project barely got off the ground, before it was hit with a blow. The turbines spent seven months spinning and now seven months just sitting. A fire in the battery storage facility knocked the system off-line in August. “It wasn’t just sulfuric acid batteries, it . . .
Wind power players
Driving down Kamehameha Highway toward Oahu’s North Shore, one has historically seen a postcard picture of red dirt, pineapples, coffee and Norfolk pine trees with blue corduroy lines ahead, signaling the radical waves that make this place legendary. This drive to the country has changed recently. As soon as Haleiwa comes into view, what catches the eye to the right are the 30 industrial windmills stretched out on the hillside from Chun’s Reef to Waimea Valley. To some, these turbines . . .
No cause, no answers seven months after Kahuku wind farm fire
It was a first of it’s kind technology – that went up in smoke. Seven months after they started spinning, the Kahuku wind mills stopped because of a fire. The fact that they’re sitting idle is having an ripple effect that reaches your electric bill. For seven months they were spinning in the wind. “First seven months of operation it put about 52k megawatts of energy into the system,” said Hawaiian Electric Company spokesperson Darren Pai. A productive project – . . .
Hawaiian Electric seeks developers for utility-scale renewable energy projects
Hawaiian Electric Co. is looking for developers to build utility-scale renewable energy projects in Hawaii that can be up and running quickly and at a low cost per kilowatt-hour. If one or more such projects are chosen, HECO, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE: HE), will work with the developer to seek a waiver from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s competitive bidding framework. To qualify to seek a waiver, a project must be located on Oahu, be larger than . . .
Lanai wind farm opponents take their case to lawmakers
People opposed to building a wind farm on the island of Lanai are trying to keep the pressure up to kill the project and some of them took their message to state lawmakers in Honolulu Wednesday. Last week, the owners of Molokai Ranch ended talks with the developer that was trying to build a commercial-scale wind energy project on Molokai. But opponents of big wind development on Lanai are still worried a large-scale project may be built on their small . . .
Molokai Ranch ends talks with wind project developer
The company that owns Molokai Ranch said it has ended talks with a developer that was seeking to build a commercial-scale wind energy project on Ranch land. The developer, a joint venture called Molokai Renewables LLC, is the second company to fail in its efforts to secure land rights from Molokai Properties Ltd. for a planned wind farm on the island. “After much consideration and discussions with Molokai Renewables, we made the decision not to renew the agreement for the . . .
Molokai Ranch says no to wind farm proposal
The owner of Molokai Ranch has announced that it will not renew an agreement for a proposed wind farm on its lands. Clay Rumbaoa, CEO of Molokai Properties Ltd., said the decision was made after much consideration and discussions with Moloka’i Renewables, which had proposed building the wind farm. “Our focus is currently on ensuring the success of our newly re-launched ranching operations and our efforts to re-open existing facilities, such as the Maunaloa Lodge, in an effort to create . . .
Molokai Big Wind deal falls apart
The owners of Molokai Ranch have reneged on plans to lease thousands of acres of land to a large-scale wind farm developer. The decision likely spells the end for the Molokai portion of the Big Wind project, an ambitious plan to build about 70 wind turbines on both Molokai and Lanai and bring the electricity to Oahu via undersea cables. Clay Rumbaoa, CEO of Molokai Properties Ltd., commonly known as Molokai Ranch, said in a statement to Civil Beat that . . .
State legislatures tackle renewable energy tax credits
Lawmakers are facing the difficult task of establishing tax credits that support Hawaii’s green energy infrastructure while reducing its fiscal impact on the state’s budget. The Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection reviewed four bills with variations on reforming renewable tax credit today. The proposals vary depending on the type of clean energy — like wind or solar power — to the type of credit — rates based on how much energy is produced over time — versus up front . . .
