New Wind Energy Project Roots in Hawaii
By: Tami Hood
Published in hydrogenfuelnews.com on May 23, 2012
Article: http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/new-wind-energy-project-takes-root-hawaii/853816/
Picture: http://venturebeat.com/2010/03/05/hawaiian-wind-project-bags-117m-stimulus-loan-guarantee/
Picture: http://venturebeat.com/2010/03/05/hawaiian-wind-project-bags-117m-stimulus-loan-guarantee/
Picture: This is a picture of a wind farm in Hawaii. It is right near the ocean so it gets a large amount of wind. Hawaii is a great location for wind farms, especially the project mentioned in the article.
Summary: Two alternative energy companies, Sempra US Gas & Power and BP Wind Energy, are collaborating on a new energy project that will take place in Maui, Hawaii. This project is supposed to help the US transition from fossil fuels to other alternative energy sources. This project will be using wind energy and will welcome future wind energy plans to the US. Eight wind turbines will be purchased from the Maui Electric Company and placed in Southeastern Maui. “The wind farm will cover 120 acres of land and generate 21 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 10,000 homes in Maui.” The project will also decrease energy costs in Hawaii significantly. Energy prices are higher in Hawaii than in the mainland because Hawaii is so removed from the rest of the US. If Hawaii can produce its own energy through these wind turbines, the cost of their energy will go down a lot. This project will also allow for many jobs for people who are unemployed. The low prices and the employment for this project will really help boost Hawaii’s economy. Hawaii’s goal is to generate no less than 40% of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030. This project will definitely allow this state to reach their goal. Along with this project, they have invested in hydrogen fuel cells and solar energy to help them accomplish goal. The use of wind energy in Hawaii is a great idea and will hopefully spread to the mainland if it is successful in Hawaii.
Opinion: This article is a great example of just one of the ways that the US is moving towards renewable energy sources. Although the US is still strongly relying on fossil fuels, we are starting to take the step in the right direction. I think that wind energy is a great renewable energy source to start the switch with. It is not that costly and it is very reliable. This article was interesting because I never knew that energy prices were higher in Hawaii because they are farther away from the mainland. I think Hawaii is a great place to start the major transition to renewable energy sources. This project alone could power 10,000 homes. That is amazing. I think that every state should start projects like this one, which is being held in Hawaii. We could power so many homes just with wind power. This connects to what we learned in class because we talked about the use of alternative energy sources. Wind power was one of the ideas we talked about. There are many pros to wind power such as the wind is free, it does not create waste or greenhouse gases, the land around the winds farms can still be used for farming and the wind farms attract tourists. The only cons for wind power are opinions like the turbines are noisy and unsightly. Wind power could be a great way to power the US. It could help replace the coal that we are using up so quickly. We are going to run out of fossil fuels eventually, so we need to start figuring out and trying new ways to get our energy before we run on empty on these environment-harming fossil fuels. This project in Hawaii could be the first step to trying new energy ideas.
Questions:
1. In your opinion, is wind power a good idea for the rest of the US, besides Hawaii? Why or why not?
2. What other states are using wind power? Is it working well in these areas?
3. Could the US switch to wind power completely or would we have to use multiple sources of alternative energy? Why and what other sources could we use?
4. Should the government force other states to participate in projects like this one? Why or why not?
I am really glad that Miau,Hawaii is heading in the direction of using renewable alternative energy sources. I agree with Jenna, that since the wind turbines have the ability to power 10,000 homes in incredible. This is a perfect role model for our country to follow. Along with providing environmentally friendly energy, its also great to hear that it is helping people gain jobs and helping the economy of Hawaii. This area seems to really be understanding the Pros of using renewable resources, and it showed by the fact that they have also invested in hydrogen fuel cells, and solar energy. I can connect to our class just like Julia can. In class we learned about how wind turbines work , what they need, their pros and cons, and the fossil fuel it replaces. The only cons of wind turbines are that they can be noisy and disrupt tv signals, or kill birds that are migrating. In my opinion, I think these cons are not strong enough to be against using wind power. The pros of wind turbines outnumber the cons. Wind turbines are free once built, are tourists attractions, the land below is still usable for agriculture, and most importantly wind is completely free and environmentally friendly. I think Hawaii has been advancing with their energy use, and other states and countries need to stop being so dependent on fossil fuels. I remember that we talked about how we do not have much supply of them left, especially oil; which only has 43 years left at current consumption. I completely agree with Jenna that this project in Hawaii could be the first step in heading towards new energy sources. I know that our country can not simply stop using fossil fuels all of a sudden and switch to alternative energy sources, but slowly moving towards them is the best path for the economy and environment of our country.
ReplyDeleteQUESTION 1)
In my opinion wind power is more than just a good idea to be used for the rest of the United States, and like I said before, the Pros overpower the Cons. Wind turbines can really prevent the amount of pollution that is created by using coal instead, and again wind is free.
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Advantages_WindEnergy.php
This link above explains the benefits of wind power and its positive impacts on the environment. This is why I believe wind power is definitely a good idea.
http://windturbine.me/prosandcons.html
This link also answers why I think wind power is good for the country. The amount of advantages are clearly shown to be larger than disadvantages.
QUESTION #1 continued...
ReplyDeleteWind power is an alternative energy source that I think may be one of the best choices out of the alternative energy options, because of how practical it is. Wind can always be used anywhere to generate power and it can be done in remote areas as well. I think that wind power and wind turbines could really help the states save money in the long run and help the environment.
Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this article, and seeing how companies are slowly trying to switch our fossil fuel dependent country over to alternative energy sources. I like that not only will this energy project decrease energy costs in Hawaii, but it will also provide new jobs for people and help their economy. It’s great how companies are realizing the dependence we have with fossil fuels and how our time with them are running out, and trying to transition into alternative energy sources. I personally like wind energy as an alternative resource, because the pros outweigh the cons, in my opinion. It is inexpensive, reliable, and safe. I hope this project works out well and is successful, so it can eventually spread into the mainland. This reminds me of how in class we went over alternative energy and the positives and negatives to them. Wind energy was one that we went over, and from that lesson, I could connect to the reading better because I knew some information about wind energy. Overall, I really hope these alternative energy project spread around our country to ease it off of fossil fuels, and help the environment.
ReplyDeleteExpansion: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/top-10-states-for-wind-power-in-the-united-states/4439
This link lists the top 10 states for wind power in our country. This list includes the amount of energy that can potentially be generated from each state if they used wind energy. America has a very high potential with wind energy; “...the study found that the annual production of power from wind energy using turbines at a taller 80-meter height would be the energy equivalent of all proven oil and natural gas reserves in the U.S.”
I think this is a brilliant idea for Hawaii and I agree with Julia with it being a good example of the US moving towards renewable energy sources. I especially like how this is a good alternative for the Hawaiians to produce their own energy instead of having it transported to them. I also found it to be amazing how many homes they supply with energy by using wind. I remember talking about wind energy in class and seeing the wind turbines when I go to the Poconos. I never really realized how much of an impact they have. I always thought they didn’t create enough energy but after reading about this article, I was wrong. This is a great alternative to creating energy in Hawaii and saving the environment too.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4: I think other states should not be forced to participate but should be encouraged to find alternative ways to making energy like Hawaii. When you force a large group of people like states to do things some might disagree on, there will be a field day with politics. States already have enough stress with citizens complaining about other problems so why should we give them more trouble. If they were to put in projects like the ones is Hawaii, the state should have a vote.
This website has a picture of some of the wind turbines in Hawaii- http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-wind-turbine-field-hawaii-image15330680
Opinion: I think it is so cool that Hawaii is starting to use wind energy instead of the normal fossil fuels. I wonder if it is successful in Hawaii that maybe they can start to use in the United States. Wind energy is so much cheaper and does not cause nearly as much pollution that fossil fuels do. Also, the fact that this one project in Hawaii can power up to 10,000 homes is amazing. It may seem like not that many homes for the size of the United States, but it is one huge step in the alternative energy intuitive. If it does end up working in Hawaii, there is no reason that it cannot work in the United States. I remember when I was driving to Cincinnati my mom pointed out that there were wind turbines near the road. It was so cool to see that they were actually being used in the United States. I remember learning about wind turbines in class, but I never thought that I would actually see them being used. Some people say that they are ugly but I think that using wind turbines as an alternative energy source for fossil fuels is a great idea, and I hope that the project in Hawaii works out so that the US can start to put more wind turbines in.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question 1: Like I said in my opinion, I think that the US should use wind turbines instead of fossil fuels. I think that it is a great idea because the wind turbines do not take up that much space like people say, and they are cheaper and do not cause pollution like fossil fuels. Also wind turbines are used as tourist attractions, so not only are they cheaper to get the electricity, they could raise more money by people going to see them. It would be a very smart idea if the US used wind turbines as an alternate energy source.