Oahu residents will have to pay an average of 13 cents more per month for the next three years to pay for a study on wind energy that was conducted in 2009 and 2010 by the Hawaiian Electric Company. The research project, called “Big Wind”, was on how to generate wind energy on the neighbor islands and then send it to Oahu via undersea cables. According to the Hawaiian Electric Company, the Public Utilities Commission has given permission last week to collect $4.4 million from rate payers. HECO stated, “These are the core planning studies that were necessary to assess both the technical and economic feasibility of the Big Wind Projects and requirements for the Oahu transmission lines and facilities needed to interconnect undersea cables delivering power from the Big Wind Projects to Oahu.”
However many question if the research was worth it, as nothing has materialized from the studies as of yet. A wind farm project on Molokai was dropped after two developers were unable to win support from the local community. Another wind project on Lanai is still up in the air with developer Castle and Cooke retaining the rights to develop a wind farm at a later date.
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 5-28-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
