This “Volcano Watch” article, written by the Hawaii Volcano Observatory for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, discusses geothermal on Hawai‘i Island and the importance of balancing geothermal’s considerable benefits with its potential risks.
VOLCANO WATCH: HVO weighs-in on geothermal development
June 28, 2012
HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: This week’s Volcano Watch article delves into geothermal development on Hawaii Island.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has been somewhat quiet during the latest push for geothermal resource development. This article does not endorse or oppose it, and it stays clear of hotly debated topics like community health, consumer cost benefit, or allotted royalties.
The article does urge caution, however, focusing on the island’s volcanic hazards, and the impact they could have on the potential energy boon to the Aloha State. Read the rest here
When we visited Iceland, we were shown an old diesel generator that had been in standby mode since the 1970s.
We would do the same thing here. As geothermal sites went online, our previous plants could be remain in standby mode. As additional, geographically dispersed, geothermal plants came online, the plants on standby could gradually be decommissioned.
Considering there are going to be at least two geothermal plant locations on the BI, one in Maui, it is very unlikely there is a simultaneous eruption that takes out all locations. In addition, the biofuel incinerators burning eucalyptus, approval for 68 new solar farms, waste to energy converters, and wave power coming along, there is very little likelihood even HECO would route everything from one big geothermal plant on the west side for Oahu. The Navy is starting an ocean thermal energy pilot project on Oahu but that looks like a very expensive can of worms.
Can someone explain to me why there isn’t more solar going on rooftops in Hawaii? I guess I don’t see a big undersea cable being a particularly good idea, unless you want to make HECO’s shareholders lots of money.
With what Hawaiians are paying for electric rates, I would have expected someone to start buying shipping containers of Chinese solar panels and installing them because it would be cheaper than buying from HECO.