Solar Energy in Hawaii by Lukas Motschmann
Hawaii currently generates two thirds of its electricity needs with imported oil. This is bad for the climate and drives up the price of electricity. The island state therefore wants to switch to 100 percent self-produced renewable energy by 2045.
Not only is Hawaii 67.3 percent dependent on imported oil for its electricity production, another 15.1 percent comes from coal-fired power generation. A devastating climate footprint for the archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. And the import of oil also drives up the price of electricity. The 1.4 million residents of Hawaii pay on average more than twice as much for their electricity as people on the US mainland. This is why Senate Bill 2629 became law as Act 23 of 2020, committing Hawaii to a future free of climate-changing coal. The new law prohibits issuing or renewing permits for coal power plants after December 31, 2022, and calls for ceasing all coal burning for electricity generation by that date.
Renewable energies are currently bobbing around in the single-digit percentage range in Hawaii though. While wind power accounts for 6.4 percent, solar energy only contributes 0.9 percent to the island group's electricity supply even though the south-western coasts of the islands in particular have a dry climate with lots of sunshine. But there is already movement in the matter. Seven solar energy projects with an output of 260 megawatts (MW) are being planned and built. Construction is taking place on the three largest islands, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii. Each solar project will be connected to gigantic storage systems with storage capacities of up to 120 MW. Underwater cables and a sophisticated communication and control system are supposed to connect all Hawaiian islands and make them independent from the mainland. The energy storage can provide four hours of electricity, which further reduces the consumption of fossil fuels during peak demand in the evening or at other times when the sun is not shining. In addition, the import of fossil fuels will be further reduced. In the decade since the state founded the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, fossil fuel consumption has been reduced by 26 percent. Annually approx. 48 million gallons of oil are used for power generation.
With the rapid expansion of renewable energies, 40 percent of electricity should be renewable by 2030!
The prices for six of the seven projects are the lowest ever for renewable electricity in the country, the Hawaiian Electric Electric Companies said. The prices are between 8 and 12 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), well below the current costs of generating with fossil fuels, which are around 15 US cents per kWh. The lowest prices are achieved by the Waikoloa Solar Hawaii AES 30 MW project with 120 MWh storage (costs: 8 US cents / kWh) and the Kuihelani Solar Maui AES 60 MW project with 240 MWh storage at costs of 8 US cents / kWh. Only the Paeahu Solar Maui Innergex 15 MW solar project with 60 MWh storage is 12 US cents / kWh above the 10 US cents / kWh mark.
The energy supply companies in Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light have, in addition to almost 80,000 private solar roof systems, already more than 500 MW of renewable energy under contract. According to them, the cost of renewable energy continues to decline, supported by tax credits for developers.
Furthermore, the utility Hawaiian Electric has now applied for a system made from the new Tesla megapacks with an output of 135 megawatts - and a capacity that gnaws at the giga range with 810 megawatt hours.
This is based on documents published by Hawaiian Electric to assess the environmental impact of the project. In addition, the utility is planning four more storage parks, some of which are significantly smaller, on different islands in the group. The storage with Tesla batteries is planned on the island of Oahu on the site of the Kahe power plant. Together with a storage facility that is about half the size nearby, it will absorb electricity from wind and sun, which is abundant during the day, and release it at night. Whether this part will also be realized with technology from Tesla initially remained open.
