The wind farms of the Big Island of Hawaii are becoming a big deal. One of the most enduring memories of being in Hawaii is the trade winds. Those lovely breezes can cool you on even the warmest of days. Some hotels don’t even have air conditioners, because the breeze off of the ocean keeps you cool without any help. Now those same winds are being used to produce electricity on the big island of Hawaii.
A short lesson in wind power is in order. Wind power is a clean, renewable energy source. That sounds like a wonderful way for everyone to go. The problem is not every place has enough wind to make electric production feasible. Most of the mid-west has some wind, especially in the spring and fall months, while the seasons are changing. But gusty winds are not what are needed to make electricity. Nor are winds that are only seasonal. You can’t put up a wind turbine to only have enough wind to make power 4 months out of the year.
To be effective, the winds need to be steady and consistent. Most commercial wind turbines start producing electricity when the wind speed is 5-10 miles per hour and are most efficient at speeds of 30 miles an hour. The blades disengage at high speeds to prevent damage to the turbine. So you can see that a light and variable wind is not going to get the job done. Enter Hawaii’s wonderful trade winds.
The wind in Hawaii has long been harnessed to produce power, most notably in Hawaiian canoes. The Hawaiian canoe utilized both man power and wind power to travel vast distances across the Pacific Ocean. Today, wind surfers use the wind to power their surf boards across the waves. Such a colorful sport to watch! All the different colored sales, against the beautiful blue water; it is a feast for the eyes.
Hawaii state law mandates a net metering program. That means that if you produce excess electricity from a renewable resource and feed it into the electric grid, the amount of power you produce will be subtracted from the amount of power you used. You have to have a special meter that the local utility will provide and you have to sign up for the program. While that is not an option for most of us today, prices on wind turbines are becoming more affordable.
Utility companies on the big island of Hawaii have been producing wind power for several years now and are upgrading their facilities to produce more in the future. At this point, total electric power produced from wind is still less than 10 percent of the total amount used on the big island during peak usage hours, but that number is improving. As discussed earlier in this article, part of the problem with wind energy is it can’t be relied upon 100% of the time for maximum output. While you can control the out put of a coal burning plant or a hydro electric plant to allow for peak usage times, the wind will blow when the wind will blow.
