WAILUKU – While experts say Maui, along with the rest of Hawaii, is becoming a key testing ground for the future of the renewable industry, they also say that the development of "smart grid" technology will be so fundamental to building a green energy infrastructure.
A smart grid is an electricity network that is built to accommodate the ebbs and flows of energy sources that rely on wind, sun and other natural elements. Without the development of a network that can store energy when the sun shines – and calling from another source, when the sky is overcast – excessive dependence of these renewable energy sources can literally leave a lot of people in the dark experts say.
A smart grid uses wireless technology, sophisticated software and a network of sensors in homes, power plants and transmission lines to move electricity around instantly where it is needed or a kick in the storage supply source when the fluctuations renewable energy have sudden falls.
Speaking last week to local business leaders at the University of Hawaii College Maui, James Griffin, the Institute of Hawaii Natural Energy showed a graph of how the wind farm on Maalaea lost all electricity output in seconds – and without notice – when the wind died down.
Griffin spoke at the Institute of Maui in sustainable school.
"Maui is already a leader, but the network here is limited," he said. "The fluctuations of renewable energy is a concern. As renewables are online, the likelihood of problems.
"We're definitely open, however," he said.
Griffin said his next project will develop a pilot smart grid in Maui Meadows, the installation of at least 200 monitors high-tech household energy supply and infrastructure, including transmission lines and power plants.
The two-year, $ 14 million project is being done in collaboration with MECO and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Participating families will be able to see their electricity bills and dining updates real-time power on laptops and smartphones, while MECO will have new electricity usage tracking and prediction software, Griffin said.
A smart grid could also be generalized to the two-way system, so that homes with solar panels and small wind turbines could sell power to MECO.
The project will last two years, he said.
For once, the isolation of the Valley Isle and the almost total dependence on foreign oil seems to be an advantage, he said.
The state has mandated that Hawaii make renewables 40 percent and increase efficiency by 30 percent in 2030, said his colleague, Michael Chang.
"Last year, 80 percent of the diesel power came from Maui," said Griffin. "Maui spent $ 150 million last year on oil. "
Earlier this year, President Ed Reinhardt MECO denominated in more renewable energy projects to get to Maui and produce at least 50 megawatts.
At present, the normal peak output at its two plants MECO run diesel is a combined 200 megawatts, with a total capacity of over 260 megawatts, including the power plant combustion of bagasse in the sugar factory Commercial Puunene Hawaii.
Solutions to the energy crisis may seem quite simple: just keep adding more renewable energy sources. However, Griffin and Reinhardt have said the island could not exploit the most of this new energy without having to build storage facilities for the battery, too. There are currently no Maui, although some are in the works.
Griffin also said it has begun MECO which mandates that build their own renewable energy battery storage units, as technology continues to grow.
For example, only the island turbine wind wind farm Kaheawa produce 30 megawatts with a plan to increase production of 21 megawatts before – and with battery storage of some kind. The proposal Auwahi Wind Farm is another plant of 21 megawatts, and construction will begin next year in Ulupalakua Ranch – along with a unit of 15 megawatts of lithium phosphate battery storage.
In fact, the ranch also has recently signed an agreement with the company Ormat to explore the possibility of developing a geothermal energy source in the area.
Other companies are also testing the waters green energy, including HCS, which wants to develop biofuels, probably out of sugar cane. And Oceanlinx has proposed taking advantage of a few megawatts of wave energy in a test project.
Even the county is looking to produce energy from natural gas in the landfill methane plant or algae using wastewater plants as a source of biofuel.
The only thing missing at this moment, is a large-scale photovoltaic plant in Maui, but has built Cooke Castle on a Lanai.
As for intelligent networks, Japanese companies, led by electronics giant Hitachi have made plans to invest $ 37 million in Maui for their own testing of smart grids. They will focus on households and businesses until 2015 Kihei. Griffin said that both intend to share their results.
Finally, parents of MECO, Hawaiian Electric Co., has an ongoing testing to improve the network using "smart meters" that monitor energy use. The company wanted to expand last year, but the state said no, because customers would pay for part of it.
In the end, Reinhardt said, the smart grid renewable energy are not only good for the environment, but the United States with more stable economies.
"It also protects the investment of all firms," said Griffin. "These batteries are very expensive."
* Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.
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