Top 40 renewable energy leaders gains new projects

The fourth quarter of 2012 was an active one for the renewable energy industry in Hawaii, with six substantial projects becoming operational. They include the 69-megawatt Kawailoa Wind Farm on Oahu, the 21-megawatt Auwahi Wind Farm on Maui, the 6-megawatt Port Allen and 300-kilowatt MP3 solar facilities on Kauai, the 5-megawatt Kalaeloa Solar Power II facility on Oahu and the completion of H-Power’s third boiler, adding 27-megawatts to its already existing 46-megawatt Oahu project.

With those projects now off the State Energy Office’s “Hawaii Clean Energy Leaders” top 40 list of proposed projects, three new developments moved onto the list. They include the KRS2 Solar Project on Kauai, Pacific Light & Power’s biodigestion project on Kauai and Molokai Irrigation System’s hydroelectric project.

The State Energy Office noted that due to the high volume of projects moving off the list, there is noticeable movement for virtually all of the remaining projects, with some gaining significantly more ground than others.
These projects include the Waikoloa Water Project, which has a new developer — HWS Wind 001 LLC — and is currently under construction and the Anahola Solar Project, which had their power-purchase agreement approved by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.

Topping the recently-updated Top 40 list is the 8-megawatt biofuel Honolulu Emergency Power Facility for the Honolulu International Airport, followed by the 6.6-megawatt waste-to-energy Honua Power Project on Oahu, the 6.7-megawatt Green Energy Agricultural Biomass-to-Energy Facility on Kauai, the 21.5-megawatt Hu Honua Bioenergy biomass facility on the Big Island and the 12-megawatt Anahola Solar Project on Kauai.

Only one project, the 3-megawatt Poipu Solar Project on Kauai, fell off the list, which identifies 40 planning projects around the state that are demonstrating progress in becoming commercial enterprises. Complete list can be downloaded from here!