LIHU‘E — Large-scale renewable energy technologies are critical for Kaua‘i to achieve sustainability, but proposals to convert the abundant resources of wind and solid waste to electricity still have unresolved questions. The two technologies were not included in $1.5 billion
LIHU‘E — Large-scale renewable energy technologies are critical for Kaua‘i to achieve sustainability, but proposals to convert the abundant resources of wind and solid waste to electricity still have unresolved questions.
The two technologies were not included in $1.5 billion of private capital investments recommended by the final draft of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan that was released this past week and presented to the Kaua‘i County Council and the public.
“More information needs to be gathered and assessed,” consultant Douglas Hinrichs of Sentech Hawai‘i told the council Wednesday.
Specifically, concerns about the potential impact on endangered seabirds and unclear federal regulations have “essentially put on hold” the development of wind-harnessing technology on Kaua‘i, according to the draft’s executive summary, which also cited community opposition centering on visual impacts.
A proposed bill that would clear the way for citizens to install small decentralized windmills without the time and expense of applying for special permits from the county Planning Department has been deferred numerous times since it was first introduced in the summer of 2009.
A deputy county attorney argued the county would likely not be held liable by the federal government for any birdstrikes caused by permitted windmills, comparing the exposure to the issuance of driver’s licenses, but council members remain unconvinced.
Planning Committee Chair Jay Furfaro, who pushed repeatedly for deferrals until the draft plan was completed, said in a brief interview during a council recess Wednesday that the plan’s statement on wind energy does not require that the entire bill be killed but will likely end discussion about generally permitting windmills in residential areas.
Furfaro said he was open to the possibility of generally permitting windmills on open- and agricultural-zoned properties on the condition that such structures comply with existing height restrictions outlined in neighborhood or other zoning plans.
Bill No. 2317 (Draft 3) is back on the Planning Committee’s agenda for this coming week, according to a published agenda.
Furthermore, the draft recommends that waste-to-energy not be included in the plan’s “generation wedge” at this time and instead be “recognized as another potential source of renewable energy for Kaua‘i that could be utilized in the future.”
That idea, which would put WTE on the back burner, flies in the face of the county’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, which was presented to the council in late December by the county Department of Public Works in consultation with R.W. Beck, rather than the county Office of Economic Development and Sentech Hawai‘i.
“In addition to reducing the volume of waste processed by up to 90 percent, WTE is an energy source that could have a significant effect on generation capacity,” the KESP executive summary states. “In addition to being identified in the county’s ISWMP, WTE has also been identified by KIUC as one of its top two recommended renewable energy projects.
“Although WTE could contribute to Kaua‘i’s non-fossil fuel generation mix, there are clearly many questions regarding the use of this technology on Kaua‘i which raise doubt as to when, or if, WTE will be implemented.”
Later, in Section 7, the KESP warns that the tipping fee paid by the county to the WTE operator could potentially be much higher than fees paid at a traditional landfill. The plan also said a higher diversion rate from the waste stream “would reduce the amount of waste available to produce power at a WTE facility and potentially have a negative impact on the operations of a WTE facility.”
What is in the plan?
While wind and waste-to-energy were not included, the plan featured recommendations that the county pass a fuel tax of 50 cents per gallon, offer efficient vehicle incentives and implement a number of changes to cut down on the island’s electricity consumption.
Among those proposals were the implementation of energy-efficient retrofits on existing commercial and public buildings; the adoption of LEED standards for new buildings; the enforcement of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code for new homes; and the creation of KIUC feed-in tariffs to incentivize large-scale renewable energy technologies.
The plan stated an “ideal” mix of those technologies would include 30 megawatts of concentrating solar power with thermal storage, 15 megawatts of photovoltaic with battery storage, 45 megawatts of hydropower, 30 megawatts of biomass/biofuels and 1.6 megawatts of landfill gas.
“Based on estimates for the total cost to install, maintain, and operate the proposed mix of renewable energy systems, Sentech Hawai‘i projects that a total of $1.51 billion of private capital will be needed over 20 years,” the plan’s executive summary states.
The feed-in tariffs would serve as “price support mechanisms that are assessed by the utility and paid for by ratepayers through their regular utility bills,” the draft plan states. “The proceeds from FITs help pay down the higher costs of renewable energy in an equitable and transparent manner.”
Council
members react
The recommendations are just that — recommendations — and do not guarantee any legislative action by the county, which paid $200,000 for the plan, or the state of Hawai‘i or Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative, for that matter.
“(It is) almost for me like science fiction,” Council Chair Bill “Kaipo” Asing said after Hinrichs’ presentation Wednesday. “I just wonder what is for real and what isn’t for real.”
Councilman Tim Bynum acknowledged that the fuel tax is “pretty radical,” but said “the world has changed and we need to do some pretty bold leadership things to make a difference.”
Furfaro, who was among those who supported funding the plan, was careful to express mild skepticism of the fuel tax proposal during a recess. It is unclear where he and other council members stand currently on the recommendations.
“We’ve got some work ahead,” Asing said.
To read the full draft plan, visit www.kauaienergysustainabilityplan.com.
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com.
