Stimulus Money to Help Finance Kahuku Wind Farm

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is providing $117 million to help finance the construction of the 30-MegaWatt wind farm in Kahuku. The construction is expected to support 200 jobs, with 6-10 full-time positions after completion...more at the Honolulu Advertiser.

Although First Wind has held meetings with the community, there are concerns by neighbors of noise pollution and shadows broadcast by the more than 200-foot tall turbine towers. A 1000-foot buffer requirement that is being proposed in the state legislature (Senate Bill 2526) may not be sufficient to minimize these impacts, but there are other procedures and regulations in place to deal with these concerns...more at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

2010 A Great Year for Renewable Energy in Hawaii

The new year is shaping up to be a great one for renewable energy in Hawaii.

• First, Hawaii's "solar roof" law (Act 204) went into effect January 01. This law mandates that all new homes have a solar hot water system installed.
• Second, the La Ola 1.2 MegaWatt solar farm on Lanai is up and running (YouTube video). The electric utility estimates this will provide 30% of the island's peak load.
  
• First Wind is pursuing plans to expand wind energy generation on Maui and install new generating capacity on Molokai and Oahu.
  
• The final EIS for the Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning cooling system planned for downtown Honolulu has been published.
  
• HIPL member Temple Emanu-El is negotiating with a local company to install a photovoltaic electricity generating system on their property. The congregation is taking advantage of a purchase power agreement to reduce the cost and receive the tax credit benefits from the federal and state governments that are not directly available to non-profits.
• Finally, HIPL is negotiating with a local photovoltaic supplier and installer to provide discounts to HIPL member households for bundled purchases of household PV systems. Contact hipl@hipl.org or check back regularly for updates.