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April 2007
Hawaii has several energy projects in the works that demonstrate the state's commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Hawaii Leads by Example
At the direction of Governor Linda Lingle, Hawaii executive agencies are documenting completed and planned activities in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Lead by Example initiative began in 2006 in response to legislative and executive mandates to change the way state agencies approach energy use in operations and facilities. The agencies' activities are summarized and their individual reports compiled in a report titled, Report to the 2007 Hawai'i State Legislature: Lead by Example State of Hawai'i Agencies' Energy Initiatives FY 2005–2006.
State executive agencies consumed only about 0.5% more energy in fiscal year 2006 than in 2005, partly because some efficiency projects had already been completed. However, the escalating cost of oil caused electricity costs to rise 19.22% during the same period. Among the findings of the report are:
- Six state buildings have been completed or are under construction to meet LEED standards, and others are planned.
- In 2006, the Kapolei State Building became the first state facility to receive an ENERGY STAR award.
- State agencies' purchases of environmentally preferable products increased from $750,000 in 2004 to $2.6 million in 2006.
- Agencies are now preparing to collect information on vehicle purchase cost, EPA rated fuel economy, mileage, fuel consumption, and other data that will ensure a comprehensive approach to reducing costs with state vehicles.
Hawaii Joins EPA in Boosting Clean, Efficient Energy Use
Hawaii has agreed to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop its own action plan for clean energy.
Hawaii has joined 14 other states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah — in EPA's Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership. The partnership, which began in February 2005, works to promote cost-effective energy efficiency, clean distributed generation, renewable energy, and other clean energy sources that can provide air quality and other benefits. Hawaii currently imports most of its fuel, but through its work with the partnership, it hopes to increase its use of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
Under the Clean Energy-Environment partnership program, each partner state agrees to work with EPA to develop and implement a state-specific action plan that contains one or more clean energy-environment goals. EPA provides a comprehensive technical assistance package of planning, policy, technical, analytical, and information resources, and works to establish links to other federal programs that support clean energy-environment strategies. Partners also benefit by learning from their peers about successful programs and policies at work in other states, identifying themselves as environmental and clean energy leaders, and receiving EPA recognition for the environmental benefits that result from their efforts.
New Super-Efficient Homes Being Built on Oahu
New residential developments by Gentry Homes on Oahu have significantly raised the bar for energy efficiency — they are achieving affordable savings well beyond conventional homes. A combination of efficient techniques has resulted in reduced utility bills, and Gentry Homes has won several awards from the recent Building Industries Association Parade of Homes.
All the energy efficiency measures are voluntary. These include icynene blown-in insulation in the walls and roof, dimmable compact fluorescent lights, ENERGY STAR appliances, double-pane low-e windows, solar water heating, and efficient, programmable air-conditioning systems as standard equipment. The 16-SEER air conditioners use HEPA filters and ultraviolet lamps, which result in very high indoor air quality. Gentry Homes is offering 309 homes in three developments with these features.
Kauai Completes Study of Combined Heat and Power from Landfill Gas
New landfill gas-fired reciprocating engines with heat recovery should replace diesels at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the western coast of Kauai. The proposed system is favored because of its life cycle energy cost, reduced fossil fuel consumption, and the quantity of renewable power it can generate. For more information, read the Pacific Missile Range Facility Combined Heat and Power Feasibility Study (PDF 16.1 MB). Download Adobe Reader
The $8.2 million project would have an internal rate of return in excess of 25%. It would generate an average of almost 12 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually during its 20-year life, to reduce diesel oil consumption by nearly 800,000 gallons per year.
Landfill gas, which was previously analyzed and found suitable for power generation, would be extracted from the public Kekaha Landfill, processed on site, and transported to PMRF's power plant via a 3.9-mile, 6-inch diameter pipeline. The output of a new 1.6-megawatt landfill gas power plant would interconnect with the PMRF power distribution system at the facility's power plant. Chilled water would be produced by an absorption chiller, and a microturbine with an absorption chiller would be located at one of the buildings.
The largest unknown financial factors are the price to be paid to the county for the landfill gas and the amount of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative's standby power charge. Currently, the cooperative's standby power charge is $5 per kilowatt, but an increase to more than $37 per kilowatt has been requested and is under consideration by the state's Public Utilities Commission.
Feasibility Study of Nonelectric Geothermal Concludes
Geothermal heat has traditionally been used for nonelectric purposes such as spas, aquaculture, and greenhouses. In Hawaii, direct uses are currently limited to incidental recreation in naturally occurring warm springs and steam vents.
A recent study concluded that several nonelectric businesses — including lumber drying, biodiesel production, sterilization of potting media, and bottom-heating greenhouses — are technically feasible in the Puna District of the island of Hawaii. However, the economics of a geothermal direct-use enterprise park are marginal at best. The study also noted that a high-temperature geothermal application such as a power plant could provide considerable heat to such an enterprise park, dropping the temperature of its waste fluids by as little as 10°F. For more information, read the Geothermal Direct Use Feasibility Study (PDF 2.9 MB). Download Adobe Reader
Project description of a state energy office project dealing with energy efficiency and renewable energy that the State Energy Program (SEP) published in its bimonthly newsletter Conservation Update.
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