About Geothermal Energy
Geothermal in Hawaii
Geothermal is one of Hawaii’s strongest energy building blocks. Unlike solar and wind power, it is what’s called a “firm” resource—always there.
The Puna Geothermal Venture facility is the first and only commercial scale geothermal plant in Hawaii. It produces about 30 MW of power, or 20 percent of the island’s needs. That’s enough electricity for 30,000 residents and visitors. Today PGV saves Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO) more than 144,000 barrels of oil a year.
Geothermal energy in Hawaii is produced only on the Big Island for use on the Big Island. In the 1980s the state investigated the technical and economic feasibility of installing a 500-megawatt geothermal inter-island submarine cable in the formidable Alenuihaha Channel, known for its difficult weather. The rationale was that the geothermal energy source was on Hawaii Island but the population center was on Oahu. The project proved to be technically feasible, but too costly without considerable government subsidies.
The state has mandated that 20 percent of the electricity generated by public utilities come from renewable sources by 2020. Yet, despite its efficiency, stability, and long-term viability, geothermal energy is not top-of-mind in the current discussions of expanding renewable energy sources. A greater awareness of geothermal energy’s potential for other business ventures is needed.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Hawaii County, University of Hawaii and PGV established a Hawaii County Geothermal Direct Use Working Group with support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s GeoPowering the West program. The working group also includes residents, business and land owners, agricultural and commodity groups, government representatives and geothermal experts.
Hawaii has always been at the forefront of designing creative energy solutions. In 1881 King David Kalakaua visited Thomas Edison in New York to discuss extracting power from Hawaii’s volcanoes and using underwater cables to carry power between islands. Apparently it didn’t prove feasible, and hydropower was used to generate electricity to light Honolulu, replacing kerosene lamps.