Kaheawa Wind Power is one of the largest wind farms in Hawaii. It is located on the island of Maui above the town of Maalaea in the West Maui Mountains. Phase one (KWP I) of the project was completed in 2006 by developer and operator First Wind and produces 30 MW from 20 GE Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines.

Phase two (KWP II), completed in July 2012, built 14 turbines below phase one with an additional 21 MW for a total capacity of 51 MW serving 18,700 homes.Shimogawa 2011; Hao 2006, p. C1; Hawaiian Electric Company 2011; Osher 2012; Imada 2012. Kaheawa is the first wind farm in the United States to use a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to protect the long term health of local species, including three endemic birds and one endemic bat.Eagar 2008; Kaheawa Wind Power 2006, p. 6

Geography Kaheawa Wind Power is located between the elevation in Kaheawa Pastures in the Lahaina District, on the slopes of the Ukumehame land division (ahupuaa) of the West Maui Mountains.Kaheawa Pastures Wind Energy Generation Facility Habitat Conservation Plan 2006, p. 1 The site is bounded by Papalaua Gulch in the west and Manawainui Gulch in the east.

Phase two of the project is located on the Kaheawa Ridge at the 1800–2700 foot elevation, just southeast of KWP I.

Background The first wind project was proposed in 1996. Zond Pacific installed a series of six anemometers in the area to collect and study wind data. The project was developed by several companies before UPC Wind Partners, LLC and Makani Nui Associates, LLC formed a partnership. An environmental impact statement (EIS) was approved in 1999, followed by a Conservation District Use Application in 2003.Kaheawa Wind Power, LLC 2005; Kaheawa Wind Power, LLC 2006

Development

In September 2006, Kaheawa Wind Power began negotiating with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to expand the wind farm.Leone 2006 In February 2011, MECO finalized a power purchasing agreement to buy power from an additional 14 turbines under construction for phase two of the wind farm, which planned to add a new 10 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).MECO gets ok to buy power from Kaheawa II wind farm 2006 The 14 new turbines and battery storage system went online on July 2, 2012.Imada 2012.

The lease renewal process for phase one to continue its operation on state land began at the end of 2025.

Specifications +Specifications Manufacturer GE Energy Model GE 1.5se Tower height Blade length Total maximum height Turbine weight Maximum turbine generator output Total nameplate capacity (maximum output) Nameplate Annual Capacity Capacity factor 43% Total carbon dioxide () displaced per annum Total sulphur dioxide () displaced per annum Total nitrogen oxides () displaced per annum

Habitat

The environmental impact statement for Kaheawa led to the development of a habitat conservation plan (HCP), the first HCP ever used for a wind farm of this scale in the United States. The plan helps fund conservation efforts for four protected species, including three endemic birds and one endemic bat: the Hawaiian goose (nene), the Hawaiian petrel (uau), the Hawaiian shearwater (ao), and the Hawaiian hoary bat (opeapea).The Maui News 2010; Kaheawa Wind Power, p. 6 The project is also researching how to best protect the nesting areas of seabirds.

The initial construction of the wind farm required restoration efforts for several plant species in the area. More than 24,000 native plants were eventually restored, comprising species such as Dodonaea viscosa (aalii), Metrosideros polymorpha (Ōhia lehua), Bidens micrantha (kookoolau), Wikstroemia oahuensis (akia), and Heteropogon contortus (pili).Wireless News 2011

The habitat also includes Sida fallax (ilima), Sophora chrysophylla (māmane), Lycopodiella cernua (wāwaeiole), and two invasive species, Leucaena leucocephala (koa haole) and Cenchrus ciliaris.Starr, Plants of Hawaii; Kaheawa Wind Power 2006, p. 14, 16

In September 2015, SunEdison discovered that the turbines were killing more hoary bats than had been predicted in the initial ecological review.Wind turbines killing more hoary bats than expected. Honolulu Star Advertiser (2015-09-12). Retrieved on 2016-07-08. They petitioned the Endangered Species Recovery Committee for permission to increase the number of bats that can die in the lifespan of the turbines from 14 to 80.

See also

Wind power in the United States Wind power in Hawaii

Notes

References

Hao, Sean. (September 12, 2006). Wind farm capacity to double. Honolulu Advertiser. Hawaiian Electric Company. (February 15, 2011). Newly approved contract clears path for largest wind energy project in Hawaii . Hawaii's Energy Future. Hollier, Dennis. (April 2010). Building a Smart Grid. Hawaii Business. 55 (10), 36-43. Imada, Lee. (July 6, 2012). Wind project, battery online; 'milestone' in energy goals. The Maui News. Kaheawa Wind Power. (2006). Makani Nui Associates, LLC., Kahului, Hawaii. Kaheawa Wind Power II, LLC. (April 2010). Kaheawa Wind Power II Wind Energy Generation Facility. Habitat Conservation Plan. Ukumehame, Maui, Hawaii. Leone, Diana. (September 20, 2006). New Maui wind farm seeks to double in size. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. MECO gets ok to buy power from Kaheawa II wind farm. (February 11, 2011). Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Planning Solutions. (December 2007). Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice. Kaheawa Wind Power II Wind Energy Generation Facility. Ukumehame, Maui, Hawaii. Shimogawa, Duane. (November 18, 2011). Maui sees a clean-energy surplus. Pacific Business News. Ubay, Jason. (July 2008). . Hawaii Business. 54 (1), 28-34. Wilson, Christie. (July 18, 2006). Maui wind farm goes online. Honolulu Advertiser, A1. Wireless News. (June 28, 2011) First Wind Promos 5-Year Anniversary of Commercial Operations for Kaheawa Wind Power. Close-Up Media, Inc. WSB-Hawaii. (1999). Final: Kaheawa Pastures 20 MW windfarm, Maui, Hawaii: Environmental Impact Statement. Kaneohe, HI: The Firm.

Further reading Kaheawa selected for U.S. wind technology research. (April 1, 2008). The Maui News.

External links

Official site