Renewable Energy Technology Assessments - Kauai Island Utility ...

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Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Renewable Energy Technology Assessments 9.0 Wind site, Kalaheo, seems to have this type of a profile. The technology is modular in scale and, as such, an appropriate size project has been identified in dialogue with KIUC such that it will be readily integrated at a reasonable cost. 9.7.2 Environmental Impact Wind is a fuel free energy source and as such has significant emissions reduction benefits. These reductions are beneficial for local air quality and for meeting current and future emissions regulations. Impact to native birds and bats should be studied and addressed to ensure that the wind turbines will not have a detrimental impact. In general, siting of wind turbines to avoid bird and bat feeding routes and migratory paths can effectively minimize bird and bat mortality to a negligible level. The Newell’s Shearwater (NS), a threatened bird species on Kauai, is of particular concern. The NS is found mainly on Kauai and their numbers are decreasing over time in spite of conservation efforts. Wind power may potentially impact these birds, although careful planning appears to offer many potential mitigation measures. The NS young are attracted to light and are vulnerable to distraction and grounding on their first flights. To minimize impacts, wind turbine development could proceed using lower tower heights and configurations not requiring FCC warning lights. NS fly lower to the ground near the coast as opposed to inland; an inland wind development would have a greater chance of being below the NS flight path. NS have been observed to use flight corridors to go from the island to the sea. A study during the summer and fall (periods of high activity) could be conducted make sure the proposed wind development site was not in one of these flight corridors. Furthermore the vast majority of NS movement happens between the hours of 4-6:30 am and 6-9 pm and turbines could be shut down during this time during the late summer and fall if bird strikes became an issue. Erosion potential during construction on some of the steeper sites on Kauai may be of concern and should be addressed both in site selection and in construction planning. Wind farms are sited over large areas of land. Turbines need to be spaced out to ensure that the wake of one turbine does not affect downstream turbines. A rule-ofthumb estimate for spacing is 5 diameters by 8 diameters. A 50-meter turbine would require spacing of 250 meters by 400 meters (820 x 1,312 ft). However, the actual turbine, access roads, and transmission lines typically take up less than 5 percent of this area and the surrounding land can be used for other purposes. Agriculture has been shown to be a particularly good mix. There are large agricultural areas of Kauai with good wind potential. 21 March 2005 9-26 Black & Veatch
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Renewable Energy Technology Assessments 9.0 Wind 9.7.3 Socioeconomic Impact The socioeconomic impacts of wind development are relatively modest. One fulltime operations and maintenance job as well as contract work will be provided by developing a 6.6 MW project. Construction employment impacts will be higher, but short term. Further, most of the project capital cost is related to turbine manufacture, which will like take place out-of-state and possibly outside the US. Wind power can provide an income source for local land owners in the form of land leases while occupying a small percentage of the land. 9.7.4 Incentives and Barriers There are several incentives to developing wind energy on Kauai. First, wind energy has good overall public acceptance and a majority of people have a positive impression of wind energy. This can be beneficial in any public review process. Also, wind is modular and replicable so that KIUC can get start with a small wind project and implement more at a time and scale deemed appropriate. Sites with wind data already being collected, sites near to load centers, and sites with an actively interested land owner or community have further incentives. Barriers to wind development on Kauai are also present. The lack of wind industry infrastructure in Hawaii will likely mean outsourcing to the mainland for technical and equipment needs of the plant. Hurricane exposure is another potential liability of a wind project on Kauai, though some manufacturers rate their turbines to survive 150 mile per hour winds, and insurance for projects is available even in hurricane prone areas. A few of the sites proposed may require development of additional infrastructure such as roads and transmission lines, notably Anahola and Hanapepe sites. Visual impacts are perhaps the largest concern. The location of the Kokee, Poipu, Maha’ulepu, and Omao projects near tourist areas or in particularly scenic areas may be an issue. The Kalaheo, Hanapepe, and Anahola sites would likely have a lower visual presence, but would still be visible to nearby residences. Utility-scale wind turbines are large, tall, moving machines that can be visible for miles. Some individuals find the view of operating wind turbines pleasant, and some do not. The visual impact is therefore difficult to predict. A great deal of study has been given to the aesthetic aspects of wind farm development. As such, aesthetics have generally improved from the cluttered, frenetic style of early California wind farms (Figure 9-13) to more graceful installations such as that shown in Figure 9-14. Larger turbines developed in recent years also spin at lower speeds than past models, and this has generally been found to be more soothing to the eye. Once a specific project location is determined, computer simulations can be made to determine the potential visual impacts to surrounding view sheds. 21 March 2005 9-27 Black & Veatch
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Principal Investigators: Ryan Pletk
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