Renewable Energy Technology Assessments - Kauai Island Utility ...

Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative
Renewable Energy Technology Assessments
3.0 Renewable Energy Technology
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monitoring and control. Compared to emissions from conventional fossil fuel
technologies, these impacts are generally inconsequential.
Kauai Outlook
The technical potential for solar PV on Kauai is very large. The various
microclimates across Kauai significantly impact potential. Based on the limited solar
research that has been completed on the island, the southern and southwestern coastal
regions of Kauai have the most favorable prospects for solar PV applications. Figure
3-14 is a solar insolation map of the island.
Figure 3-14. Kauai Solar Insolation (Source: Hawaii Statewide GIS Program).
With energy storage, solar could easily supply the entire electricity needs of the
island. As an example, using historical solar radiation data from the federal government
and the Weather Bureau Army/Navy (WBAN), initial calculations show that a 730 acre
solid PV field operating at 11 percent efficiency located in the Barking Sands or Poipu
region could generate 500 GWh of electricity per year, which is in excess of the current
annual electricity demand. Such a plant would be 285 MW if operated at a 20 percent
21 March 2005 3-61 Black & Veatch