It's mother nature's air conditioning - wind. In a matter of weeks the newly built wind farm in Kahuku will go live.
"It should be fully commercially operating within the next couple of weeks, by the end of February for sure," says Kekoa Kaluhiwa.
Twelve Clipper Liberty turbines will generate 30 megawatts of electricity, enough to power almost 8,000 Oahu homes, cutting Hawaii's oil consumption by nearly 140,000 barrels a year.
"They are big, but that's sort of the technology today where they're getting a little taller, a little wider, a little slower moving but able to generate a whole lot more energy than the technology in the past," says Kaluhiwa.
Kamehameha Schools wants to harness that same energy in Haleiwa. On the slopes above Laniakea beach, there's a plan to build 30 more wind turbines on the former Kawailoa Plantation property.
"We're excited with what's happening there and to be able to contribute to green energy," says Kalani Fronda, Kamehameha Schools Senior Land Asset Manager.
The Kawailoa wind farm could generate 70 megawatts of energy. Add that to the turbines that will be turning in Kahuku and together the wind farms could power over 22,000 homes on Oahu.
"It's pretty significant because if you think about the number of households that Kawailoa will be able to energize, we're looking at anywhere from 14,500-15,000 homes and you look at the corridor of the North Shore, that's pretty substantial," says Fronda.
Kamehameha Schools is partnering with First Wind to draft an Environmental Assessment.
"To be able to produce that in a very pono and a very proper way making sure that air space and so on is also respected," says Fronda.
First Wind is working to have a power purchase agreement signed with Hawaiian Electric Company soon.
"Here in Hawaii we are paying more for energy than anywhere else in the United States so to be able to have clean, renewable, locally-produced energy is crucial for our energy independence in Hawaii," says Kaluhiwa.
First Wind hopes to have the Kawailoa wind farm operational by 2012.
