Geothermal Energy on Hawai'i Island helps fulfill State of Hawaii pledge for green hydrogen future
USGS photo - Hawaii volcano
The pending decision by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to approve a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)between the Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) and Puna Geothermal Ventures (PGV) could fulfill a 13-year-old State of Hawaii government plan to use the heat from volcanoes to bring green hydrogen energy to Hawaii.
Although now little known, in 2009 Governor Linda Lingle signed Act 240, a piece of legislation that pledged to bring green hydrogen as a fuel in common use by the year 2025. That year will soon be upon us and with it, soon, if all goes according to plan, the production of green hydrogen fuel, five refueling stations, and the ability to power buses, trucks, and automobiles with renewable energy around the Big Island with low-cost hydrogen for the first time.
According to the PPA which if it is approved, is to be implemented in 18 months - HELCO is to buy 20 MW of PGV’s expanded energy production at 6 cents per kWh. An Ohio-based company manufacturing hydrogen fueling stations called Millenium Reign Energy (MRE) will then pay HELCO 10 cents per Kilowatt hour to produce green hydrogen. In 2009, the State of Hawaii consultant hired to do the study on the ACT 240 program, projected that hydrogen could compete with diesel fuel on the Big Island when the hydrogen could be produced at .10 cents kWh and diesel fuel exceeded $5.30 per gallon. Those conditions have now been met.
The Geothermal Dream Becomes Reality
For many years there has been a dream in Hawaii to harness geo-thermal energy to provide base power for all of Hawaii as has been done in Iceland and New Zealand. Research done by the Hawai‘i State Energy Office in 2016 suggested that there may be more than 1,000 MW of geothermal reserves on the Big Island, enough to collectively power Maui, the Big Island, and about one-quarter of O’ahu.
At the present time, geothermal energy powers just 20 percent of the Big Island grid. This is down from 30 percent before the eruption of Kilauea in 2018. With the increase in production projected by PGV, under the proposed PPA, from 38 MW to 46 MW for the PPA it is likely that geothermal energy will grow as a proportion of the Hawaii renewable energy mix.
The promise of green hydrogen -with its possibility for exporting energy to other islands in containers via barge - to power heavy trucks and other equipment is an important element in that effort. If all goes as planned, it will encourage further expansion of PGV capabilities on the Big Island to produce geothermal energy from volcanic heat and help the State meet its target of 100% renewable energy by 2045.
