New 69 megawatt windfarm under construction in Hawaii

Wind farm in Hawaii breaks ground

february 26, 2012, evwind.es

First Wind began construction on the 69 MW Kawailoa Wind energy project in Hawaii, expected to be one of the biggest wind power projects in Hawaii with 30 Siemens wind turbines.

The wind farm will use 30, 2.3 MW Siemens wind turbines. The Hawaiian Electric Co. signed a power purchase agreement for the output from the plant in December 2011.

First Wind owns and operates two other wind power projects in Hawaii, including the 30 MW Kahuku Wind energy project on Oahu that went online in March 2011, and is currently building two wind power projects on Maui.

-First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, today celebrated the start of construction of its 69-megawatt (MW) Kawailoa Wind project on Kamehameha Schools’ Kawailoa Plantation lands on Oahu’s North Shore. Once complete, Kawailoa Wind will be the largest wind energy facility in Hawaii. The site’s thirty 2.3 MW Siemens wind turbines will have the capacity to generate enough clean, renewable wind energy to power the equivalent of approximately 14,500 homes on the island, or as much as five percent of Oahu’s annual electrical demand.

“This groundbreaking for Kawailoa Wind is an historic occasion for Hawaii because, as the largest wind project ever in the state, it will harness enough clean, sustainable energy to provide power for thousands of families on Oahu”

During a groundbreaking ceremony on the project site, First Wind officials were joined by U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz, State Senator Mike Gabbard and Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle, along with several other state and local leaders, who shared comments on the project’s significance.

“This groundbreaking for Kawailoa Wind is an historic occasion for Hawaii because, as the largest wind project ever in the state, it will harness enough clean, sustainable energy to provide power for thousands of families on Oahu,” said Senator Akaka. “Renewable electricity production makes our islands more energy self-sufficient, environmentally sustainable, and secure, which is critically important now and for future generations.”

Lt. Gov. Schatz added, “This is the largest wind farm in Hawai'i’s history, and it shows the progress we are making toward our clean energy goals. This is a great day for Hawai'i. We've moved from talking about renewable energy to actually doing it.”

“Clean energy projects are a priority for the City and County of Honolulu because they are a priority for our future,” said Mayor Carlisle. “When completed, the Kawailoa Wind project will be able to produce clean, renewable energy to power more than 14,500 Oahu homes. Projects like this will benefit and position our city for the future.”

In December 2011, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved a power purchase agreement between First Wind and the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), which serves more than 400,000 Hawaii customers. Hawaii state law mandates 70 percent clean energy for electricity and surface transportation by 2030, with 40 percent coming from local renewable sources. Kawailoa Wind will significantly advance the state’s progress toward these goals.

“This project will be an important part of Hawaii’s diverse portfolio of renewable energy resources. As the largest wind farm in Hawaii, Kawailoa represents a significant step toward reducing the impact of imported oil on our customers,” said Dick Rosenblum, Hawaiian Electric Company president and CEO.

Working in concert with the Kamehameha Schools (KS) as part of their North Shore Plan, Kawailoa Wind reflects a genuine collaboration with the community. First Wind has been in discussions about the project with North Shore residents and community organizations for the past two years, while KS began community consultation in 2006, starting with area kûpuna (Hawaiian elders) to guide the process. First Wind also worked with federal, state, and county agencies to obtain the necessary permits.

“The Kawailoa Wind project is an integral part of our North Shore Plan and represents the continued commitment of Kamehameha Schools, through the support of the North Shore community, to positioning Kawailoa Plantation as an important provider of sustainable food and energy for the State of Hawaii,” said Giorgio Caldarone, Regional Asset Manager and Renewable Energy Sector Lead, Kamehameha Schools. “This project will not only help the State meet its renewable energy goals, but it will also help preserve and support continued agricultural production for future generations. Kamehameha Schools is committed to sustainability and to investing in projects today that will create positive outcomes for future generations. Mahalo to the North Shore community and to everyone else who helped to make this vision a reality.”

First Wind’s CEO, Paul Gaynor, also spoke at the event.

“We are pleased to begin construction on our fourth project in Hawaii, and the largest wind energy facility in the state. When it comes to renewable energy, Hawaii has proven to be a national leader, innovator and an excellent partner,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. “Powering up to 14,500 Oahu homes with one project allows us to continue our leadership in the state’s ambitious clean energy plans. Our continued success is also a testament to all of our partners and supporters, including the North Shore residents, our PPA partners at HECO and our contractors such as RMT.”

As with other projects on Maui and Oahu, First Wind developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for Kawailoa Wind, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources. The HCP is a wildlife conservation effort that includes research funding and actions to protect and minimize incidental harm to federally listed species in the vicinity of the wind energy project.

First Wind owns and operates two other wind energy projects in Hawaii, and is currently building another project on Maui. Kahuku Wind, also located on Oahu’s North Shore, is a 30 MW wind project that has the capacity to generate enough energy to the power the equivalent of 7,700 Oahu homes. The Kahuku project went online in March of 2011. Beginning commercial operations in 2006, the 30 MW Kaheawa Wind project is above Ma‘alaea. First Wind is currently building a second Maui project, Kaheawa Wind Power II that will consist of 14 wind turbines, capable of generating 21 MW of energy. Once Kaheawa Wind II is complete, the two Kaheawa projects will have a capacity of 51 MW.

Beyond the affordable clean energy they produce, First Wind’s projects in Hawaii have been significant economic drivers. RMT Inc., which also handled construction for First Wind’s Kahuku Wind project on Oahu and is currently building Kaheawa Wind II on Maui, will lead construction efforts for Kawailoa Wind. Collectively, ongoing work at Kaheawa Wind II and the work done at Kahuku Wind have driven nearly 200,000 on-site labor hours during construction, and more than 50 Hawaii businesses have been included in the development and construction supply chains for the two projects.


www.firstwind.com


Ten Commandments of Native Peoples

Trump is such an A-hole; vacuous hyperbole over offshore wind farm

Donald Trump blasts plans for Scottish wind farm

By BEN McCONVILLE, Associated Press – 10FEB12

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The feel-good era between New York property tycoon Donald Trump and Scotland's political leaders seems to have come to a dramatic end.

Trump has launched a blistering attack on Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond over plans to build a "horrendous" wind farm off the coast of his luxury Scottish golf resort. In an open letter, Trump accuses Salmond of being "hell bent on destroying Scotland's coast line and therefore Scotland itself."

The bitter words are a far cry from the love-in the two men enjoyed four years ago when Salmond backed Trump's 750 million pound (US$1.2 billion) golf development 12 miles (16km) north of Aberdeen despite protests from environmentalists and locals about damage to rare sand dunes.

Back then, Trump invited Salmond to join him and actor Sean Connery to be the first to tee off on what the businessman described as "the world's greatest golf course." Trump also heaped praise on Salmond's government after it overruled local lawmakers who rejected the planned golf resort.

The Scottish leader backed the golf course by claiming it would create hundreds of tourism jobs around the Aberdeenshire area.

Locals and environmentalists campaigned in vain to save the sand dunes which were home to numerous species of wading birds and wildlife, but the dunes were bulldozed to make way for the fairways in 2009 and 2010. The course is due to open in July.

Salmond's support for the wind farm is consistent with the Scottish government's plan to position itself as a leader in the provision and technology of renewable energy. The wind farm's turbines will be visible from the beach and the golf course.

Salmond has refused to comment on Trump's letter, but Niall Stuart, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, which represents the wind farm industry, reacted with anger to the intervention.

"Who is Donald Trump to tell Scotland what is good for our economy or environment?" Stuart said in a statement. "He completely over-blows the impact of the proposed wind farm and to be honest there are so many mistakes in this 'trumped up' nonsense that it's difficult to know where to begin."

Trump tells Salmond in the ill-tempered letter: "With the reckless installation of these monsters, you will single-handedly have done more damage to Scotland than any event in Scottish history!"

He adds: "I will never be 'on board,' as you have stated I would be, with this insanity."

The tycoon warns Salmond that he will be using his wealth to fight his government's renewables policy.

"I have just authorized my staff to allocate a substantial amount of money to launch an international campaign to fight your plan to surround Scotland's coast with many thousands of wind turbines — it will be like looking through the bars of a prison and Scottish citizens will be like prisoners!"

He ridicules the Scottish National Party's renewable energy policies, claiming the economic benefit is going to China and other countries, not Scotland.

"Jobs will not be created in Scotland because these ugly monstrosities known as turbines are manufactured in other countries such as China. These countries, who so benefit from your billions of pounds of payments, are laughing at you!" Trump said.

Trump concludes the attack by referring to his mother, who was raised in Scotland.

He adds: "I'm doing this to save Scotland and honor my mother..."

Windpower news from TreeHugger.com

367 MW Offshore Wind Farm Opens in UK


Let's start with the good news today (the for-now-largest offshore wind power project is online) and move on to the more troubling (another study casts serious doubt on the benefits of natural gas as a bridge fuel as more renewable energy gets built). Here we go.

367 MW Offshore Wind Farm Is Britain's & (For Now) World's Largest

The Walney offshore wind farm, 14km off the coast of Walney Island in northwest England, has opened. At 367 MW for the moment it is the largest offshore wind power project in the world (there are larger projects in various stages of development), supplying enough electricity to power 320,000 households. More on the financial details of the project and criticism of the costs of offshore wind power in general at Reuters.


100 MW Solar PV Project Planned for Germany

Most of the time when you see a solar power project of this size it's not solar photovoltaics. PV Magazine reports that Parabel AG has announced that it has begun preliminary work on a 100 MW solar PV project in the Brandenburg region of Germany. Expected to be completed in 2013, the project will occupy parts of a former military training facility, and will be made up of "several spatially separate solar construction sites within an approximately 430 hectare planning area." In other words several smaller projects are being linked together under one heading.

Best to Build New Wind Farms Farther From Neighbors

Renewable Energy World has an interesting piece on wind power historian Robert Righter, who urges new wind power development to be built farther away from human development. REW sums up Righter's views:

As a hearty advocate of wind energy and continued rapid growth of the industry, Righter may surprise some with his strong call for more sensitivity to quality of life concerns of rural residents. He spends three chapters [of his new book] addressing the increasing problems caused by wind farm noise in rural communities, chides developers for not building farther from unwilling neighbors, and says that new development should be focused on the remote high plains, rather than more densely populated rural landscapes in the upper midwest and northeast. Righter seems to be especially sensitive to the fact that today's turbines are mechanical intrusions on pastoral landscapes, a far cry from the windmills of earlier generations.
After The Natural Gas Rush, What?

A very good counterpoint from The Oil Drum to all the natural gas ra-ra-ra messaging coming out of the Obama administration, not to mention the natural gas industry and high profile business publications betting on natural gas for now, the future and forever. A bit of it:

For several years, we have been asked to believe that less is more, that more oil and gas can be produced from shale than was produced from better reservoirs over the past century. We have been told more recently that the U.S. has enough natural gas to last for 100 years. We have been presented with an improbable business model that has no barriers to entry except access to capital, that provides a source of cheap and abundant gas, and that somehow also allows for great profit. Despite three decades of experience with tight sandstone and coal-bed methane production that yielded low-margin returns and less supply than originally advertised, we are expected to believe that poorer-quality shale reservoirs will somehow provide superior returns and make the U.S. energy independent. Shale gas advocates point to the large volumes of produced gas and the participation of major oil companies in the plays as indications of success. But advocates rarely address details about profitability and they never mention failed wells. Shale gas plays are an important and permanent part of our energy future. We need the gas because there are fewer remaining plays in the U.S. that have the potential to meet demand. A careful review of the facts, however, casts doubt on the extent to which shale plays can meet supply expectations except at much higher prices.


High Methane Emission Over Gas Field May Offset Natural Gas' Climate Benefits

Another study casts serious doubt on benefits of natural in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Think Progress is highlight the fact that an air sampling done by NOAA over Colorado shows that methane leakage from natural gas field near Denver are double industry industry claims (4% measure versus 2% claim).

Joe Romm then connects the dots with a 2011 study on the efficacy of using natural gas to lower greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production. The study was done by National Center for Atmospheric Research and concludes:

Unless leakage rates for new methane can be kept below 2%, substituting gas for coal is not an effective means for reducing the magnitude of future climate change.