Kauai is the oldest, but only the fourth largest of the main Hawaii islands. The Pacific Plate thrust it up when it passed over the Hawaii hot spot five million years ago. Since then. it gained the name ‘The Garden Island’ because it truly is a green and verdant tropical paradise. However, it was not always that green in terms of energy.
The Carbon-Soaked Past Kauai is Shedding
In 1970, Kauai burned sugarcane waste to generate energy. Something changed to the extent it was mostly burning liquid petroleum in 2008. Three years later, 92% of the island’s energy came from diesel turbines.
Then policy changed again. By 2017 the garden island generation mix was 56% fossil fuels, 9% hydroelectric, 12% biomass and 23% solar. It also had a 13-MW / 52 MWh battery next to the 12 MW Kapaia solar plant. The latter has 22 powerpacks linked to 55,000 solar panels. Moreover the utility is offering $1,000 rebates to consumers installing solar water heaters.
However There Is a Way to Go to Meet the 2045 Target
Hawaii wants to be on 100% renewable energy by 2045, and Kauai is working hard to help achieve this. A provider handed over “the world’s largest battery plant paired with solar generation” at Kauai’s Lawa’i on Tuesday January 8, 2019.
This hannesses 28-megawatts of solar capacity with 100 megawatt-hours lithium battery storage. It can deliver this energy for a full five hours, and replace some diesel peaking plants in the evening. During daytime, the entire island could run off it when the sun is shining.
This Kauai initiative proves, once again, how necessity is the mother of invention. The island has no grid connection to the mainland and has to be energy self-sufficient. Moreover, this green solution is cheaper than diesel, without even mentioning the benefits for global warming.
Related
Hawaii is Trend-Setting Green Energy in the U.S.
Mauna Loa Observatory Continues Crying Out in 2013
Preview Image: The World’s Largest Battery Plant Paired with Solar Generation
