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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0826.000 2006-2008 _ _ Emily I. Naeole =:ta.w,~ Council Member Mailing Address: ~'•ti,o',N.~'y:~ Business Address: (Former County Building 333 ~lauea Avenue, Second Floor 25 Aupuni Street Ben Franklin Building Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Hawai `i County Council County of Hawai `i RFCFiVcI) Telephone. (808) 961-8267 Facsimile: (808) 961-8912 'y~G^ ey_~___ ~t._L%r~l~Q~.--~--~- County Gouncl! To: Pete Hoffmann, County Council Chairman From: Emily Naeole, 5th District Council Member Date: November zi, zoo'7 Re: Food and Energy Sustainability Committee Presentation on Dec. 4 For the Food and Energy Sustainability Committee on Dec. 4, please allow about i5-zo minutes for Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) Plant Manager Mike Kaleikini to brief council members using a Power Point presentation ---about PGV's operation and future plans. Enclosures EIN/tce Comm. No.~_ Ref. To:_ FGSL Ref. Date _N~V 21 1087 Hawaii County is an Egual Opportunity Provider and Employer Mike Kaleikini -Geothermal Plant Manager ~ Puna Geothermal Venture Page 1 of 2 Puna Geothermal Venture Hawaii . Home . Puna Geothermal Venture . About Geothermal. Energy . News . FAOs Puna Geothermal Venture History . Eauinment & Technology . Power Generation . Air Quality & Noise Monitoring . Ormat Technologies, Inc. PGV Team . Mike Kaleikini . Barry T. Mizuno Location PGV is in the Puna District of Hawaii Island. It is located 21 miles south of Hilo. The facility is situated on about 30 acres of a 500-acre plot along the Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) of the Kilauea Volcano. Brochure _PDF http://www.punageothermalventure.com/PGV/?c=pgv-team 11/21/2007 Mike Kaleikini -Geothermal Plant Manager ~ Puna Geothermal Venture Page 2 of 2 Photo Tour Puna Geothermal Venture Mike Kaleikini Plant Manager Mike Kaleikini is responsible for supplying Hawaii Island's residents with clean, renewable geothermal energy. As the Plant Manger of Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), Kaleikini is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the 30-megawatt geothermal power plant in the Big Island's Puna district. PGV has been in commercial operation for 14 years, and has provided approximately a quarter of the Big Island's electrical needs. Kaleikini oversees all of the plant's operations and ensures compliance with all contractual, environmental and safety standards. With more than 22 years of combined experience in propulsion plants, operations and maintenance, and power generation industries, Kaleikini joined PGV in 1991 as a plant operator. Previously, Kaleikini served in the US Navy as a Gas Turbine Systems Technician, and spent five years at sea aboard the USS David R. Ray (DD-971). The Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii benefit from Kaleikini's knowledge and experience in renewable energy in the islands. Kaleikini stands as resource to the Hawaii Island community, working on developing real energy solutions to reduce the state's dependence on foreign fuel. Kaleikini is a proud graduate of Kamehameha School and Foothills Jr. College in Los Altos Hills, California. Kaleikini is married and has two sons, and when he's not overseeing the plant's activities, he enjoys camping, fishing, family gatherings, and spending weekends farming and tending to the family's livestock. . SCHEDULE A TOUR . EMPLOYMENT • CONTACT US • PHOTO TOUR ©2007 PUNA GEOTHERMAL VENTURE P.O. Box 30 • Pahoa, HI 96778 • 808-965-6233 (phone) • 808-965-7254 (fax) • 24-Hour Response Line: 808-965-8843 http://www.punageothermalventure.com/PGV/?c=pgv-team 11/21/2007 PUNA GEOTHERMAL VENTURE HAWAI I Hawai`i's Geothermal Story Spring 2007 ' www.ormat.com ORMAT®~~ r PUNA GEOTHERMAL VENTURE Hawai`i's Geothermal Story HAwnu When Ormat Technologies, Inc. acquired Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) on Hawaii Island in pR MAT® June 2004, the state's most reliable alternate energy source entered a major new phase. www.ormat.com PGV has been quietly producing geothermal-generated electricity for Hawaii Electric Light Company for years, worlring to be a good neighbor, and a steady supplier of power. Since becoming part of Ormat, a company with considerable depth in geothermal lmowledge, PGV has undergone substantial upgrades. Ormat Technologies, Inc. is an award-winning, innovative company specializing in geothermal energy. Ormat designs, develops, builds, owns and operates geothermal energy plants around the world, and manufactures other power- generatingequipment and services. Founded in 1994 and based in Reno, NV, Ormat Technologies has operations in the Philippines, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Kenya, Israel and the United States, including Hawaii. Ormat products and systems are found in 19 countries. At PGV, state-of-the-art technology generates power by tapping deep into the heart of the Big Island-to the vast underground cauldron of Kilauea's volcanic heat-converting steam into electricity for Big Island residents. pp ~ s~fi~lu~l . The 30 megawatt (MW) PGV plant uses air- cooled condensers and noise reduction ' enclosures. It's slow-profile plant, 24 feet high, and has near zero emissions. One hundred percent of its geothermal Fluid and gas is reinjected into the deep earth. Hawaii Geothermal Story -PGV ` Page 1 of 8 Geothermal energy is a top source of renewable energy, better than solar or wind. When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, the heat from the volcano continues to produce a atea~y flow of power. Since Ormat acquired PGV in 2004, the facility has undergone a $32 million enhancement, reti~rn;ng the plant's generating capacity to 30 megawatts (]YIW) and getting it ready for additional production. PGV saves the Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELLO) more than 400,000 barrels of imported oil a year, providing electricity for about 30,000 Big Island residents and visitors. _ PGV, the only commercial geothermal power plant in the state, is in the Puna District of Hawaii Island. It's located - about 21 miles south of Hilo. The facility is situated on about 25 acres of a 500-acre plot along the Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) of the Kilauea Volcano. Powered by natural heat from the earth, PGV has provided stable, sustainable electricity for the Big Island for more than a decade. It generates about 20 percent of the electrical energy-and energy diversification-to that market x.wars wens eneryr u.. t:oos> Source: HErn under a Power Purchase Agreement with ~ o~~ HELLO. "%o N~r Nriural Gas ~ • Blomau ' The underground geothermal resource at ~a,N ~ ¦wme PGV has the capacity to generate ¦wmK: Nuci.x considerably more. Geothermal has the 09b potential to provide 100 percent of the Big o~,',G" Island's electrical power needs. However, it is unlikely that the public utility would ' have all its generation depend on one G.. ' resource. PGV is poised to increase its electrical output another 8 megawatts, to 38 MW, providing greater stability and the potential for other uses. And, there's still room to grow. Because PGV's underground resource holds potentially 200 MW of y Hawaii Geothermal Story -PGV Pale 2 of 6 renewable geothermal energy, PGV has the abihty to expand its production to help meet the Big Island's emerging energy needs. The economic and social benefits could include: ? Further reduction of the Big Island's dependence on fossil fhels ? Stimulation of cottage and light industries, such as seed germination or hydrogen fuel technology, that depend on direct heat applications or electrolysis. Ormat Technologies has designed and built geothermal power plants around the world, currently producing in excess of 800 MW. Ormat's acquisition of PGV brought the internationally recognized energy player to the Big Island as owner/operator. (Ormat's high-tech equipment was used to build the facility in the 1990s.) Hawaii geothermal story Hawaiti has always been at the forefront of designing creative energy solutions. In 1881 King David Kalakaua visited Thomas Edison in New York to discuss extracting power from Hawaii volcanoes and using underwater cables to carry power between islands. Apparently it didn't prove feasible, and hydropower was used to generate electricity to light Honolulu, replacing kerosene lamps. • Because it is located above a volcanically active "hot spot" in the earth's mantle, HawaiY Island has I the moat potential of all the islands for geothermal energy both for ' electrical generation and direct ~ _ uses. Geothermal energy anchors the Big Island's growing list of possible sustainable, indigenous, diversified energy, which also includes wind, solar, ocean thermal r and wave technologies. Geothermal ` ~ - ' produces 31 percent of the state's renewable energy resources (second ' ' after waste-to-energy conversion at 58 percent), and the USGS vast majority of the Big Island's renewable power. r ~ Aa a result, Hawaii County's energy picture is bright compared to the electrical ' shortages of the early 1990s, when the Big Island suffered rolling brownouts because not enough power was being generated. Hawaii Geothermal Story -PGV Page 3 of 8 Still, Hawai`i's geothermal potential remains largely untapped. Besides providing electrical power, geothermal could contribute to the manufacture of other technologies, such as hydrogen, or be a power source for ethanol manufacture. Off- peak energy could be transported to rmau:noYrnu the National Energy Laboratory of HawaiY or elsewhere for demonstration projects. It could also provide direct heat applications. 4s~ ,.P,iiii It wasn't easy for PGV's operations Nmwaoirwc /~ou'~gi6~"~ to get started; geothermal wwta a steiur production had a rough time ~ ~ ~ Q ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ f gaining acceptance at first, despite b ~ v ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 111 its track record around the world. Q ~ y G ~~~d~~ j~ i Following the Arab oil embargo of ` the mid-1970x, America sought alternatives to oil. In Hawaii, tapping into the volcano seemed a natural. The state of Hawaii drilled an experimental well (HGP-A) in 1976 and a geothermal reservoir in the Kilauea East Rift Zone was uncovered. It was one of the hottest geothermal wells in the world. This test well was essentially a pipe punched into the ground-intended as a test, only a test. A few years later, July 1981, the US Department of Energy, the State of Hawaii and the County of HawaiY ftrnded a 2.5 megawatt (it ended up at 3MY17) power electric plant to use energy from the well to produce electricity. This, too, was intended as a test, only planned as a two- - year demonstration project. It was not built with the safeguards and abatements of a modern commercial unit. d . Instead of two years, the plant operated for eight. As brownouts rolled across Hawaii, the small amount of power the HPG-A plant produced was sorely needed. ' Eventually in `89, as HELLO developed more generating capacity, it was closed. The lessons learned were applied to fl~ture projects. Hawaii Geothermal Story - PGV Page 4 of 8 Geothermal is real, sustainable and stable. Stlll, misconceptions persist. One common misconception is that Hawaiian groups still oppose geothermal; another misconception is that virgin rainforests are being destroyed by geothermal. Neither is the case. As energy needs escalated in the 1990x, the operation drilled wells and began producing electricity at a site in Puna District in the East Rift Zone adjacent to Leilani Estates. There was some community opposition to the project ' based on initial drilling noise, and concerns that emissions were unhealthy. PGV managers and operators persevered, fine-tuning and constantly upgrading the facility, proving a good neighbor. In 2002, a serious power drop was corrected by immediately drilling new production wells and upgrading injection wells. This sophisticated waste disposal technology captures the spent geothermal fluids, including hydrogen sulfide, and returns it to the earth's interior without exposure to the open air or to nearby communities. . - Today the PGV well field has five production r wells and four injection wells, at depths between ' 4,000 and 7,000 feet. w Production wells ` PGV continues to be a good neighbor through local sponsorships and service to the community. A newsletter keeps neighbors and others informed of plant activities; a 24-hour company hotline is also available. Ormat/PGV consultant Barry Mizuno and plant manager Mike Kaleikini are well-respected members of ^ Hawai9 Geothermal Story -PGV Page 8 of 8 the Big Island business community, and Mizuno's reputation extends across the state. He serves on numerous business and community boards and is a member of the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board. PGV has taken its place among the island's energy producers as a truly viable form of alternative energy-efficient, cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly, says Mizuno. "PGV and Ormat see a prosperous Hawaii Island community that still has the essence that makes it a wonderful place, where there are beautiful beaches, strong agriculture, a place where people have better mobility because we have better technology behind us; where we have a much lighter footprint on the planet because we are living in efficient buildings, driving efficient cars, making our own power," he says. "If PGV can help the process along, that's what we seek to do." For More Information Contact Mike Kaleikini at PGV. Mkaleikinic~ormat.com (808) 965-6233 PUNA ' GEO1}1ERMAE VEIYTIIRE i i v HAWAII 'r r r Hawaii Geothermal Story -PGV Page 6 of 6 Print vRrsion - ©COPYRIGHT 2007 The Honolulu Advertiser - Ha... http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Feb/OS/In/FP7020503... HonoluluAdvertiser,com Posted on: Monday, February 5, 2007 Geothermal venture in bind By Kevin Davton Advertiser Big Island Bureau HILQ, Hawaii -Nearly 14 years after Puna Geothermal Venture harnessed the RELATED NEWS power of Kilauea Volcano to produce electricity for the Big Island, the independent FROM THE WEB power company is stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for either technological or market changes that will allow it to grow. Latest headlines by tOptC: PGV provides power For some 30,000 Big Island homes and businesses, using steam • Enerev Partners produced deep in the East Rift Zone of the volcano to power the company's turbines ' ~artment Of Energy in Pohoiki. • Science / Technoloav • Enerev To generate that same electricity from a traditional oil-Bred power plant, the state • Alternative Enerev would have to import an additional 400,000 barrels of oil each yeaz. PGV is the • Oil & Gas state's second-largest single renewable energy producer, after O'ahu's gazbage-burning H-Power plant. Powered by T 'x.net In these times of sky-high oil prices and instability in the Middle East, that might look like slam-dunk justification for quickly expanding geothermal production, but it isn't that simple. PGV obtained government approvals six years ago to double its production from 30 megawatts to 60 megawatts, but the company still hasn't installed the equipment necessary to produce the extra power. A megawatt is enough power to mn about 1,000 homes. Hawaii Electric Light Co. President Warren Lee said HELLO probably won't need another 25 megawatts from PGV until about 2020 because HELLO has a comfortable mazgin of extra generation capacity. Part of the reason HELLO won't need more power from PGV sooner is that HELLO and independent power producer Hamakua Energy Partners added modem and highly efficient new generators in Keahole and Hamakua during the past seven years. Those plants burn diesel or the petroleum product naphtha, and they increased the available power production on the Big Island by a combined total of 100 megawatts. HELLO also has plans to boost power production still more at Keahole in 2009 by installing new equipment to generate another 18 megawatts from waste heat generated by the company's new diesel turbines, Lee said. The island has the capacity to produce 270 megawatts of firm power from both fossil-fuel and renewable sources, which is more than enough to meet the island's peak power demand. Peak demand was about 201 megawatts in November and December of last year, the months when power use was heaviest, Lee said. That is why the infamous Big Island rolling blackouts of the early 1990s, when demand for power outstripped HELCO's ability to generate electricity, aze a fading memory. But the new petroleum-fired plants also mean HELLO won't need another lazge block of geothermal power for many years to come, and HELLO is Puna Geothermal Venture's only customer. "We wouldn't just go up to 60 megawatts if there's no need for it," said Barry Mizuno, PGV's former general manager and 1 of 3 2/19/07 10:35 AM ,Print version - ©COPYRIGHT 200"7 The Honolulu Advertiser - Ha... http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Feb/OS/In/FP7020503... financial manager, and now a consultant for the company. "We need a mazket for the electricity that we generate." HELCO has been negotiating off and on for years with PGV for a modest boost of about eight additional megawatts of geothermal power, but it isn't clear when a contract for the additional power might be finalized. Lee said whether the utility buys more power from PGV will depend on the price and whether PGV is reliable. PGV has had difficulty in recent years just delivering the 30 megawatts it is required to provide under its existing contract, and recently the company has produced an average of only about 25 megawatts, Lee said. Plant Manager Mike Kaleikini said PGV, which is owned by Ormat Technologies Inc., has been having problems since the middle of last year, but expects to be back to full production in April. The most recent work included clearing out obstructions in two production wells used to extract the superheated water and steam from underground, and crews also repaired the walls of an injection well, which is used to pump fluid into the ground after it has been used to produce electricity. PGV also redrilled a fourth well to convert it from an injection well to an extraction well, part of $32 million in upgrades to the plant since it was purchased by Ormat Technologies in 2004. Serious discussions with HELCO over PGV's plan to produce more power were put on hold when the plant began to have problems last year, Kaleikini said. He said he doesn't expect serious talks to resume until power production is back up. "It's a reasonable thing, and that's what we need to do," he said. "We need to honor our existing contract before we can ask for more." Lee pointed out that even when HELCO might need significant amounts of additional power in about 2020, there is no guarantee that PGV will be the supplier. The state Public Utilities Commission will require that prospective providers competitively bid for the right to deliver that power, Lee said. Other uses for geothermal power besides selling it to the operator of the Big Island power grid have been investigated, but those uses probably are years off. State and utility officials studied the idea of laying undersea cable to move electricity from geothermal sources under the Big Island to the much larger electrical market on O'aha, but laying the cable proved to be too expensive for the plan to work. More recently, there has been interest in the idea of using geothermal power to produce hydrogen, which would then be used for other types of power generation, or as a transportation fuel, said Maurice Kaya, chief technology officer for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Kaya said the state has been working with the federal Department of Energy to investigate that possibility, although widespread commercial use of hydrogen for energy is generally regazded as a decade or more off. "While it has not been as visible, weve not lost our enthusiasm for the potential for geotherrnal energy on the Big Island," Kaya said. Reach Kevin Dayton a[ kdavton(a~honoluluadvertiser.com. 2 of 3 2/19/07 10:35 AM .Print version - ©COPYRIGHT 2007 The Honolulu Advertiser - Ha... http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Feb/OS/WFP7020503... GEOTHERMAL ENERGY EXTRACTION Puna Geothermal Venture's power pant edracts geothermal fluid hom reservoirs deep inside the Earth and corwens h into electricity for 30,000 &g Island homes, The fluid is re-injected Dack into the grourq, creating a closed-loop system with near-zero emiaaiOna. O Radu.11 0 10 Mllo Mges - - 11 PMO~ • b nwMlt r ` Votoano a~ 1.---tea" ~ J iu..a BIO ISLANO~J ' hoed _ e~~515! ~ n? a~ OlU4alq£"" ~ r NOTTO£Cllt E~ Swr~e' fLna Gea.Femutl Vrntuie MWLTTe NcWf me N~onPU Aereaaee Correction: Construction of new power facilities in Hamakua and Keahole since 2000 added 100 megawatts of generating capacity to the Big Island power grid. Also, the Big Island now has the capacity to produce 270 megawatts of firm power from both fossil-fuel and renewable sources. A previous version of this story contained incorzect information. Back ® COPYRIGHT 2007 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of The Honolulu Advertiser. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. 3 of 3 2/19/07 10:35 AM PUNA GEOTHERMAL VENTURE FAQs about Geothermal Energy What is geothermal energy? ~ Geothermal energy is heat from = • ~ ~ HAwAn Earth's interior. Geothermal heat ~ll orig5nates from Earth's fiery formation more than four billion years ago. At Earth's core-4,000 miles deep-temperatures ' may reach over 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. How La geothermal heat created4 The heat from Earth's core continuously flows outward. When temperatures and pressures become high enough, some of the surrounding rock melts, becoming magma. Because it is lighter, the magma rises, moving slowly up toward Earth's crust, carrying with it the heat from below. Sometimes the hot magma reaches the surface, where we know it as lava. Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, for example, has been actively spewing lava since the 1980x. Most often the magma remains below Earth's crust, heating nearby rock, rainwater and seawater that has seeped deep into the earth. Some of this hot water travels backup through faults and cracks and reaches Earth's surface as hot springs or geysers. Most of it stays deep underground, trapped in cracks and porous rock. Thia natural collection of hot water is called a geothermal reservoir. How bane people used geothermal heat is the past4 From earliest times, people used geothermal water that flowed to Earth's surface as - hot springs. The oldest and most common uae was,fuat relaxing in the comforting warm waters. History tells us that Romans used geothermal water to treat various diseases and, at Pompeii, to heat buildings. Some 10,000 years ago, Native ' Americans used hot springs for cooking and medicinal purposes. For centuries the Maori of New Zealand have cooked "geothermally,° and, since the 1980x, France has been heating up to 200,000 homes using geothermal water. Where does geothermal energy come from? Geothermal resources are found in three types of locations: in shallow ground; in the hot water and rock located a few miles beneath the earth's surface; and even deeper ' into the earth where molten rock reaches extremely high temperatures. Today we drill wells into the geothermal reservoirs to bring the hot water and steam ' to the surface. Geologists and engineers do a lot of exploring and testing to locate underground areas that contain this geothermal resource, so we'll know where to drill production and infection wells. Once the hot water and/or steam travel up the wells to the surface, they can be used to generate electricity or for other energy- ' saving purposes. This heat, called geothermal energy, provides warmth and power without polluting ' the environment. Puna Geothermal Venture FAQ Page 1 of 8 How does geothermal heat produce electricity? Once geothermal waters reach the surface, the steam is sent to the power plant and used to drive generators to produce electricity, and the brine and gases are re- injected back into the injection zone below the water table. Combined, Puna Geothermal Venture's five production wells normally produce an average of two million pounds of geothermal fluid per hour. Like wells in other volcanic regYons (Indonesia, Philippines and Iceland), PGV's wells are considered prolific in comparison to other types of geothermal wells in the industry. There are three types of power-generating plants: dry steam, flash steam and binary cycle. DaY sxEebc plants, first used in Italy more than 100 years ago, route the steam directly to a power plant to produce electricity. Dry steam plants are used in places such as The Geysers in California, where steam is close to the surface. FrnsH axEnH[ - power plants cause the fluid to rapidly vaporize, driving turbines that in turn drive a generator. BIN6xY-CYCLE plants are similar and the most advanced. Their closed-loop circulation system means that no excess gases or fluids reach the open air. PliY~s ' power plant utilizes the closed-loop binary system. where is geothermal energy found in the V.B. aad worldwide? Most geothermal reserves ase found in the western states, Alaska and Hawaii. States ' such as California boast reserves of shallow steam. Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and Utah are all areas of rapid geothermal growth. ' The Hawaiian Islands lie above a geothermal "hot spot" that has been volcanically • active for millions of years. Based on geothermal exploration conducted in the 1970s, the slopes of Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii Island have the most potential for generating electricity and direct utilization. Maui has been listed as a possible site, • too. Worldwide, geothermal power is being generated in more than 20 countries including Canada, Icelend, Italy, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Russia, The Phillipines, Indonesia, China, Japan, the rift > valley of Africa and the U.S. Early geothermal exploration .r in Hawaii. v The Hawaii Geothermal ! ttoa " ~ ' Assessment Program of 1978 s ~F`' > initiated studies of potential ~ geothermal sources statewide. The most viable locations were on The State of Hawaii's 1976 experimental geothermal well. Hawaii Island, primarlly in the Kilauea East Rift Zone. Apublic-private partnership dug the first geothermal well in r Puna in 1976, tapping volcanic steam for energy. The project developed into a two- " year experimental 3-megawatt power plant that went online in July 1981. The plant's output was sorely needed at the time, due to islandwide energy shortages, so Puna geothermal Venture FAQ Page 2 of 8 it continued for eight years. Since the project was never intended as a commercial operation, the plant was not built with the best available control technology. Inadequate maintenance took its toll on the plant, costs began to exceed revenues produced, and disposal systems for excess gases and brine did not meet community or regulatory standards. Production ceased in 1989. What did the experimental well accomplish? The project revealed that geothermal resources on Hawaii Island are robust, reliable and sustainable. It also showed that the byproducts-excess fluids and gas-needed to be better handled and disposed. Some of the techniques developed and tested at this site were used in the development of PGV's commercial plant. Regulatory agencies put standards in place to mitigate some of the issues that were uncovered during the experimental geothermal development in the area. When did electricity come to Honolulu? Hawai`i's King KalaJiaua was fascinated by new things. One of them was electricity. He and his advisors visited Thomas Edison in New York in 1881 to talk about replacing the kerosene lamps in Honolulu with electric lamps powered by volcanic steam. In the end, Honolulu was one of the first cities in the West to have electric street lights but the power came not from a volcano but from a nearby hydroelectric plant. When did geothermal energy become commerciaIIy available is Hawaii? The Puna Geothermal Venture facility is the first and only commercial scale geothermal plant in Hawaii. It produces about 30 MW of power, or 20 percent of the island's needs. That's enough electricity for 30,000 residents and visitors. Today PGV saves HELCO more thou 400,000 barrels of oil a year. What happens in the event of a lava flow in the area? Because the Puna geothermal facility lies in a high lava haaasd zone, the equipment is especially protected. The turbine-generators are built on skids, and can be removed quickly in the event of a lava flow. The well is contained in a concrete bunker that can be closed off and protected from the lava flow. Once the danger is past, the well can be reopened using modern GPS technology and the turbine-generator repositioned. exam.w...ompn oy o.m.u an now ro. x...ri an..e Where is geothermal energy used is Hawaii? Geothermal energy is produced only on the Big Island for use on the Big Island. In the 1980s the state investigated y the technical and economic feasibility of installing a 500- megawatt geothermal inter-island submarine cable in the . \ ~ formidable Alenuihaha Channel, known for its difficult • weather. The rationale was that the energy source was on the Big Island but the population center was on 0`a,hu. The project proved to be technically feasible, but too costly without considerable government subsidies. a~ Puna Geothermal Venture FAQ Page 3 of 8 Are there uses Lor geothermal heat other than to produce electricity? Yes. Direct use of the plant's excess heat and byproducts have been used to support other business ventures, even during the period of the experimental well. The Noi`i O Puna (Puna Geothermal Research Center) was built next to the experimental s"`~~0"~ aaawy Unp power plant in 1985 and the Hat E„~w following year the Community ? D ~ ~ Geothermal Technology Program was established to encourage use of waste heat. rooroo•,i Pilot projects included drying papaya and lumber, ~ ceou~nnr wrx greenhouse propagation, cloth ©W«~a dyeing and aquaculture projects. Source: DBEDT Some projects produced results far beyond expectations. Rates of seed germination improved as much as 10 times, for example, and silk cloth dyed here was more colorful and steadfast than cloth from Japan due to the chemical composition of geothermal steam. The popular program was terminated when the experiment ended in 1989. What is the states interest is expanding geothermal energy? The state has mandated that 20 percent of the electricity generated by public utilities come from renewable sources by 2020. Yet, despite its efficiency, stability, and long- term viability, geothermal is not top-of--mind in the current discussions of expanding renewable energy sources. As an electric power generator, geothermal energy is pretty much limited to Hawaii Island, where it still could supply more of the power demand. A greater awareness of geothermal's potential for other business ventures is needed. The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Hawaii County, IIniversity of Hawaii and PGV established a Hawaii County Geothermal Direct IIse Working Group with support fY'om the II.S. Department of Energy's GeoPowering the West program. The working group also includes residents, business and landowners, agricultural and commodity groups, government representatives and geothermal experts. What direct use applications are there? Direct use applications (using the heat itself) are popular because of the high cost of conventional energy supplies. There are potential opportunities for both existing and new businesses. Agriculture and commercial fishing enterprises are promising. Other possibilities include: fruit dehydration; cold storage and ice-making to preserve fish and fresh flowers; aqua~culture ponds for tropical ornamental fish; greenhouse bottom heating; drying lumber and crops such as macadamia nuts. Other ideas are freeze-drying coffee, ethanol distillation, and milk pasteurization and sterilization. Puna Geothermal Ventura FAQ Page 4 of e What is geothermaYs long term outlook in Hawaii? Geothermal is one of HawaiY's strongest energy building blocks. IInlike solar and wind power, it is what's called a "firm" resource-always there. Years of development, state-of--the-art equipment, and attention to community concerns have made PGV a model facility. Geothermal energy is "clean," it requires a relatively small area of land, and the cost per kWh is competitive-eurrent),y in the same range as oil. The coat of geothermal will remain stable, even if the cost of oil fluctuates. True, it is found only on the Big Island. Geothermal could fulfill all of the energy needs of Hawaii County, though it is doubtful that regulators would put all their energy eggs in one basket. Beyond that, geothermal could be used to power plants that produce biofuels. And it could be sent to the Natural Energy Lab for experimentation in the production of hydrogen fuel cells-one of the newest technologies in the energy field. Expanding opportunities for direct use would help many small businesses on the Island by reducing the high cost of conventional power. What are the benePlts of renewable energies in general? ? Emissions are low. ? Reduced cost of Ebel to generate electricity. ? Reduced reliance on imported oil and exposure to the volatile world oil price market. ? Risk management through diversifying the portfolio of electricity generation options. ? Job creation and economic benefits. ? Environmental benefits, including reduced pollution, reduced global warming, and the threat of oil spills from transporting fossil fuels to the various Hawaiian Islands. ? State-owned geothermal resource generates geothermal royalties to the state. What is the Geothermal Asset Fund aad Selocation Fund4 These funds are intended to benefit the community adjacent to geothermal development and mitigate its impacts. PGV pays $50,000 annually to the Asset Fund, and a portion of PGV's annual revenues goes to the Royalty Fund. The Asset Fund currently holds about $1.88 million. The Relocation Fund to date is about $2.2 " million. On>.y about $8,500 has been granted for a resident's claim and the maintenance of a community group's emissions monitoring equipment. Do Native Hawaiians and environmentalists oppose geothermal? " Native Hawaiians benefit from PGV's operation through 20 percent of royalties paid on the resource. Today, there is no overt opposition to geothermal energy. In the early days, one company-not PGV or its predecessor-sought permission to drill in a former state preserve, the Wao Kele O Puna forest. Some protested that geothermal interfered with Native Hawaiian practices. Today, Native Hawauans and environmental groups are not generally in opposition to the geothermal project. PGV: A good neighbor. Geothermal has proven itself to be a reliable, sustainable resource. The facility continued to produce power following the recent 6.7 magnitude earthquake off the Puna (+eothermal Venture FAQ Page 6 of 8 coast of Hawaii Island. Geothermal energy greatly reduces the county's dependence on fossil fuels. It provides jobs and has proven to be a good neighbor, through community service projects, sponsorships and scholarships, and keeping the community and others aware of its activities. Primary souses: "Hawaii and Geothermal: What Has Been Happening'?" GHC Bulletin, September 2002 HawaiY Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism II.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy/Geothermal Technologies Progiam website Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) website Geothermal Education Office/GeoPowering the West website PGV/Ormat Industries websites For More Information Contact Mike Kaleikini at PGV. Mkaleikini~ormat.com (808) 985-8233 PUNA GEOTHERMAL VENTURE HAWAII i Puna Geothermal Venture FAQ Page 8 of 8