Editorial: Hawaii will need more wind power

Three years ago, Gov. David Ige signed into law a bill that directs the state’s utilities to generate 100 percent of their electricity sales from renewable energy resources by 2045 — a lofty mandate for the most petroleum- dependent state in the nation.

Hawaii’s electricity generation is now dominated by fossil fuels. And due to the continued costs tied to importing most of the energy used throughout the state, ratepayers shoulder the highest prices nationwide — more than twice the U.S. average.

Our only realistic chance of meeting our clean energy deadline is with a single-minded push to transition to a cost-effective and diverse renewable portfolio for the electricity sector. We can get there, in large part, by increasing wind- and solar- fueled power generation in the islands and lowering electrical consumption until the lines meet.

Hawaiian Electric Co.’s latest stride is a wind power purchase agreement with a proposed project, through which 13 turbines — each 260 feet tall, from base to hub — would be constructed above the Kahe Power Plant. The proposal to buy electricity generated by EE Ewa LLC at its planned wind farm, Palehua Wind, on the eastern slope of the Waianae range, was submitted last week to the Public Utilities Commission for review.

So far, wind farms on Oahu — two are up and running and another is under development — are getting mixed reviews. On the upside, the vertical operation requires less land than other renewable projects. And while solar is limited by daylight, this option can be tapped 24/7, winds permitting.

On the downside: obstruction of views; turbine gearbox noise that can rob a neighborhood of tranquility; and turbine towers and blades posing a threat to native bats and birds. According to a state report issued last year, five wind farms in the islands have killed an estimated 146 Hawaiian hoary bats over six years despite a limit of 187 deaths over 20 years.

In a recent meeting with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s editorial board, San Diego-based Eurus Energy America Corp., EE Ewa’s parent company, said early monitoring for the endangered bat at the West Oahu site is being done; an EE executive said he thinks there may be fewer numbers than compared with the North Shore due to Palehua having less habitat and food.

Still, before signing off on Palehua Wind, the state should insist on stringent mitigation measures as well as careful assessment of risks confronting seabirds and other species.

Responding to the other negatives, Eurus Energy noted that as technology advances, gearbox noise is dialing down; and view obstruction is something of a green-minded trade-off. Turbine towers are an eyesore. But without them, it’s a near certainty that Hawaii would fall short of meeting its clean-energy mandate.

That’s a valid point as wind holds potential to be the most inexpensive option in the emerging portfolio, which, in addition to solar, includes biomass and biofuel expansion as well as hydro- and geothermal possibilities.

HECO estimates that Palehua Wind operations would yield a 71-cent savings for a typical residential customer using about 500 kilowatt-hours per month. That’s encouraging, as is a reforesting plan for the 1,600-acre property on which the 2-acre wind farm would be built.

Landowner Gill ‘Ewa Lands intends to use its share of revenue tied to Palehua Wind operations to help pay for revitalizing habitats and reducing fire risk on land damaged by cattle grazing and invasive plants. Such a move would benefit nearby communities that in August saw wildfires in Makaha and Waianae valley consume upwards of 8,000 acres.

As of the end of last year, HECO estimated that 27 percent of the state’s energy was coming from renewable sources. The addition of Palehua Wind would push along the tally at a pace of 2 percentage points per year over the purchase agreement’s 22-year term. With the clean energy deadline now 26 years away, the positives linked to this project appear to outweigh the negatives.