Kawailoa Wind Farm is a wind farm near the Waimea Valley, on the North Shore of Oahu. Commissioned in 2011, it comprises 28 wind turbines. At maximum capacity the farm is able to produce 69 MW. Kawailoa Wind Farm has been operational since 2012 and is a part of Hawaii's renewable energy efforts. [1] Despite its clean energy, there are unintended ecosystem impacts on some native species of birds and bats, and efforts to mitigate these threats are ongoing.
| Rotor/Turbine details | |
|---|---|
| Number of blades | 3 |
| Number of turbines | 30 |
| Total nominal power | 69,000 kW |
| Turbine diameter | 101 m |
| Turbine power | 2,300 kW |
Kawailoa Wind Farm was constructed by First Wind Solar Group and is currently owned and operated by D.E Shaw Renewable Investments and has been operational since November 2012. After its commission, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved a 25-year power purchase agreement through 2032. Under this agreement the energy is currently sold to the Hawaiian Electric Company(HECO) for $0.2190 per kilowatt-hour or $0.229 per kilowatt hour. [3]
Renewable energy is a means of energy generation that uses renewable sources of energy such as wind, geothermal, and tidal energy. Wind energy uses the available wind to power turbines that generate electricity. In general, the Hawaiian Islands are a very strong candidate for wind energy due to their location and the consistent trade winds that blow through the islands. In 2011 the U.S. Energy Information Administration(EIA) estimated the capacity factor of many windfarms in Hawaii, many of which reached above or near 50% capacity. This data placed Hawaiian wind energy generation among the top wind energy producers in the world. With this abundant energy the State of Hawaii hopes to reach 100% renewable energy generation by 2045, much of this energy will hopefully come from the wind projects. [4] Kawaiola Wind Farm along with Khaku wind farm produce about 3.1% of Oahu's energy needs, as well as comprising 14% of energy generation portfolio in 2018. [5]
In August 2019, the US Fish and Wildlife service Published an Environmental impact statement to permit the increased levels of unintentional Hawaiian Hoary Bat deaths and deaths of the Hawaiian Petrel. The wind project initially estimated around 60 bat fatalities however, the actual bat fatalities exceeded the original estimates. Due to this shortcoming the Wind Project has been developing a new strategy to alleviate these environmental impacts. [6]
on December 8, 2011 and January 6, 2012 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued and an incidental take license from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife. The permit allowed for the take of seven species under the federal Endangered Species Act and State of Hawaii endangered species statute. [7] These species are:
The purpose of the amendment is to advocate a request to increase the amount of take for the Hawaiian Hoary Bat above the current allowed takes, and to add the endangered Hawaiian petrel as a Covered Species. The amendment provides a plan for how Kawaiola Wind will reduce these impacts to native species to the best of its ability. This includes a layout for new management plans and longterm construction monitoring. This amendment does not propose to change the original 20 year permit. [8]
The hoary bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America.
Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years. From January through December 2023, 425.2 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 10.18% of electricity in the United States. The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power the average American home for one month. In 2019, wind power surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest renewable energy source in the U.S.
Wind power in Texas, a portion of total energy in Texas, consists of over 150 wind farms, which together have a total nameplate capacity of over 30,000 MW. If Texas were a country, it would rank fifth in the world: The installed wind capacity in Texas exceeds installed wind capacity in all countries but China, the United States, Germany and India. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), wind power accounted for at least 15.7% of the electricity generated in Texas during 2017, as wind was 17.4% of electricity generated in ERCOT, which manages 90% of Texas's power. ERCOT set a new wind output record of nearly 19.7 GW at 7:19 pm Central Standard Time on Monday, January 21, 2019.
The Hawaiian hoary bat, also known as ʻōpeʻapeʻa, is a species of bat endemic to the islands of Hawaiʻi. The Hawaiian hoary bat occupies the major Hawaiian islands, making it the only extant and native terrestrial mammal in the islands. Some studies report that the mainland hoary bat lives in sympatry on the Hawaiian Islands alongside the Hawaiian hoary bat, although this is disputed. The Hawaiian hoary bat was officially named the state land mammal of Hawaiʻi in 2015. It is a federally listed endangered taxon of the United States.
Making up over 62% of the state's generated electricity in 2022, wind power is the largest source of electricity generation in Iowa. In 2020, over 34 billion kWh of electrical energy was generated by wind power. As of 2022, Iowa has over 12,200 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity with over 6,000 wind turbines, ranking second and third in the nation below Texas respectively.
The Shiloh wind power plant is a wind farm located in the Montezuma Hills of Solano County, California, USA, close to Bird's Landing and Collinsville, 40 miles (64 km) northeast of San Francisco. It has a nameplate capacity of 505 megawatts (MW) of power and was built in four stages between 2005 and 2012. Several additional projects are also located in the Montezuma.
Wind power in Montana is a growing industry. Montana had over 695 MW of wind generation capability by 2016, responsible for 7.6% of in-state electricity generation.
The energy sector in Hawaii has rapidly adopted solar power due to the high costs of electricity, and good solar resources, and has one of the highest per capita rates of solar power in the United States. Hawaii's imported energy costs, mostly for imported petroleum and coal, are three to four times higher than the mainland, so Hawaii has motivation to become one of the highest users of solar energy. Hawaii was the first state in the United States to reach grid parity for photovoltaics. Its tropical location provides abundant ambient energy.
Policy makers often debate the constraints and opportunities of renewable energy.
In the U.S. State of Kansas, wind power is the largest source of electricity, generating over 41% of the state's electricity in 2019. Kansas has a high potential capacity for wind power, second behind Texas. The most recent estimates (2012) are that Kansas has a potential for 952 GW of wind power capacity yet had only about 5.6 GW installed by year end 2018. Kansas could generate 3,102 TW·h of electricity each year, which represents over 75% of all the electricity generated in the United States in 2011. This electricity could be worth $290 billion per year.
The US state of Colorado has vast wind energy resources and the installed electricity capacity and generation from wind power in Colorado has been growing significantly in recent years. The growth has been sustained due to a combination of falling costs, continuing federal incentives, and the state's aggressive renewable portfolio standard that requires 30% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.
Wind Powering America (WPA) is an initiative of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that seeks to increase the use of wind energy throughout the United States. WPA collaborates with key state and regional stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, Native Americans, rural electric cooperatives, consumer-owned utilities, and schools to break down barriers associated with wind energy development.
The Criterion Wind Project is a wind farm located on Backbone Mountain east of Oakland, Maryland, United States. The project has a rated capacity of 70 MW and uses 28 Liberty Wind Turbines manufactured by Clipper Windpower. Each of the wind turbines is about 415 feet tall. The Criterion Wind Project is owned by Criterion Power Partners, LLC, which is a subisiary of Exelon, and interconnected with the transmission system of the Potomac Edison Company. Electricity and renewable energy credits from the project are sold to the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative under a 20-year supply contract.
Kaheawa Wind Power is one of the largest wind farms in Hawaii. It is located on the island of Maui above the town of Maalaea in the West Maui Mountains. Phase one of the project was completed in 2006 by developer and operator First Wind and produces 30 MW from 20 GE Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines.
Infigen Energy (Infigen), operating under this name since 29 April 2009, is a developer, owner and operator of renewable energy generation assets in Australia. Infigen's wind farm portfolio has an installed capacity of 557 MW. Most of Infigen's assets generate electricity from renewable sources and are eligible to sell Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) under the mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme, which operates in Australia under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. Since 2020, Infigen Energy has been a subsidiary of Iberdrola.
Energy in the U.S. state of Hawaii is produced from a mixture of fossil fuel and renewable resources. Producing energy is complicated by the state's isolated location and lack of fossil fuel resources. The state relies heavily on imports of petroleum; Hawaii has the highest share of petroleum use in the United States, with 67% of electricity generation in the state coming from petroleum in 2023, compared to less than 1% nationally.
Wind power in Hawaii is produced by the state's 132 commercial wind turbines, totaling 236 MW in capacity. In 2015, wind turbines produced 6.4% of Hawaii's electricity. In 2012, Hawaii generated 367 million kWh from wind power.
Despite its high potential for wind energy generation, wind power in Kenya currently contributes only about 16 percent of the country's total electrical power. However, its share in energy production is increasing. Kenya Vision 2030 aims to generate 2,036 MW of wind power by 2030. To accomplish this goal, Kenya is developing numerous wind power generation centers and continues to rely on the nation's three major wind farms: the Lake Turkana Wind Power Station, the Kipeto Wind Power Station, and the Ngong Hills Wind Farm. While these wind power stations are beneficial to help offset fossil fuel usage and increase overall energy supply reliability in Kenya, project developments have also negatively impacted some indigenous communities and the parts of the environment surrounding the wind farms.
Wind power in Tennessee has most potential in East Tennessee along the North Carolina border. The state has not passed renewable portfolio standard legislation and there is just one utility-scale wind farm with 15 operating turbines and previously 3 test turbines. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), based in Knoxville, imports wind-generated electricity into its service area which includes Tennessee. US Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee is an outspoken critic of wind power.
Los Vientos Wind Farm is a 912 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Starr and Willacy counties in South Texas. It is the second largest wind farm in the United States behind the Alta Wind Energy Center in California.
21°36′52″N158°03′12″W / 21.6145°N 158.0533°W
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