Hawi Wind Farm

Hawi Wind Farm
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationUpolu Point, Hawaii County, Hawaii
Coordinates20°15′19″N 155°51′14″W / 20.25528°N 155.85389°W / 20.25528; -155.85389
StatusOperational
Commission dateMay 2006 (2006-05)
OperatorHawi Renewable Development
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Rotor diameter47m
Power generation
Units operational16
Make and modelVestas V47
Nameplate capacity10.56 MW
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

Hawi Wind Farm is a wind farm on Upolu Point, the northern tip of Hawaii's largest island, Hawaiʻi. Commissioned in 2006, it comprises sixteen 660 kW wind turbines manufactured by Vestas, specifically the Vestas V47 turbine. At maximum capacity the farm is able to produce 10.56 MW.[1]

History

Mauna Kea causes the trade winds to divert around it, increasing wind to super-enhanced flow over the Kohala ridge.[2] On 14 May 2004, Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) bought the project from enXco or EDF Renewable Energy. Since then the farm has been operated by Hawi Renewable Development LLC, but continues to provide power to HELCO. The Hawi wind farm was the first utility scaled wind farm built in Hawaii, quickly followed by the Kaheawa Wind Farm built later in 2006.

Advancements and shortcomings

In 2011, the Hawi Wind Farm added a 1 megawatt back-up battery system to their wind farm. The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute approved this 1.8 million dollar project which allowed Altair Nanotechnologies to make this installation. This addition allows the wind farm to produce up to one megawatt of backup power that can be fed into the grid if the wind farm were to shut down due to safety reasons.[3]

However, as recently as 2013 the farm has also had its setbacks. On 7 January 2013, the farm was forced to shut down due to high sustained winds and gusts up to 50 miles-per-hour. This shut down directly impacted over 6,000 customers.[4] Similarly, a week later the farm went off line again, this time affecting about 4,500 customers.[5]

Specifications

Rotor/Blade Details[6]
Number of Blades Three
Nominal Power 660 kW
Rotor Diameter 47m
Swept Area 1,735 m2
Power Density 0.027m2/kW

References

  1. ^ "Hawaii Electric Existing Wind Farms". Hawaii Electric. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  2. ^ Elliott, DL; Aspliden, CI; Gower, GL; CG Holladay; MN Schwartz (April 1987). Wind Energy Resource Assessment of the Caribbean and Central America (Technical report). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. p. 28. OSTI 971424.
  3. ^ "Hawi Wind Farm to Get Battery Backup System". Honolulu Star Advertiser. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  4. ^ Smith, Dave (7 January 2013). "Wind Causes Power Outages Across Big Isle". Big Island Now. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Loss of Wind Farm Cuts Power to HELCO Customers". Big Island Now. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Technical data about Vestas V47/660 wind turbine". thewindpower.net.