Four Reasons Why Bioenergy is The Solution to Hawaii’s Renewable Energy Equation
In June 2015, Governor David Ige signed House Bill No. 623 into law, setting a goal of powering Hawaii with 100% renewable energy by 2045. In order to achieve this clean energy target and diversify Hawaii’s renewable portfolio standard, we need to leverage a variety of renewable energy technologies, such as biomass, wind, solar and geothermal, all working in unison to replace fossil fuels.
Honua Ola, a biomass facility on Hawaii Island’s Hamakua Coast, will sustainably generate 100% renewable energy for Hawaii Island residents by using locally grown biomass feedstock from commercial crops, primarily eucalyptus, as well as invasive albizia trees cleared by property owners.
Honua Ola has committed in filings to the state Public Utilities Commission to plant more trees than it harvests to ensure that more greenhouse gases are absorbed than the plant emits to make its operation carbon neutral.
As a true testament to caring for our land and community, Honua Ola will plant more than three million trees through the National Forest Foundation during its first five years and has entered into an agreement with the Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to support its reforestation project.
Bioenergy is not only environmentally friendly, but also creates more social and economic benefits than other renewable energy technologies.
The following are some of the benefits:
1. Supporting Livelihoods
During construction of the state-of-the-art facility in Pepeekeo, Honua Ola provided Hawaii Island residents with over 400 construction-related jobs, and now employs more than 35 workers in operations and maintenance jobs.
Once operational, Honua Ola will create more than 200 full-time jobs, including jobs in related industries, such as forestry and transportation.
2. Bioenergy: Cost-Efficient and Reliable
Honua Ola’s newly refurbished and reconstructed power plant in Pepeekeo uses state of the art technology to generate up to 29 megawatts (MW) of firm, renewable energy around the clock. Bioenergy from Honua Ola will cost an estimated 0.22 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) up to 21.5 MW only 8 cents/kWh when dispatched between 21.5 and 29 MW.
Honua Ola provides advantages not available with intermittent technologies. Solar energy, for example, can be cheaper to produce but is limited in its ability to provide long-lasting or continuous power. Solar + 4-hour battery storage can only supply energy at its maximum level for up to 8 hours at 8-9 cents/kWh on average. To increase the battery storage for 24-hour reliability, the cost would be greater per kilowatt hour.
Bioenergy, like geothermal, is a firm (continuous) source of energy that can deliver power on demand 24/7. Honua Ola’s facility can provide enough energy to supply 14,000 households with renewable electricity and deliver nearly 15% of Hawaii’s Island’s electric power needs.
As a firm energy source, Honua Ola’s biomass plant will complement solar and wind power and will ensure a stable grid.
3. Reduced GHG Emissions with Biomass
Since biomass is carbon neutral, the benefits of a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biomass are potentially greater than those of other renewables. Honua Ola is a modern biomass facility with emissions controls, sound dampening systems and other efficiency and environmental improvements to ensure workers and the community are safe and the environment will be protected. GHG emissions are therefore reduced twice, once through direct combustion of biomass, and a second time through the substitution of fossil fuels using bioenergy.
However, the level of GHG emissions reduction depends on various factors, including the type of biomass feedstock used, the process and efficiency of the technology used to produce bioenergy. Bioenergy systems have the highest reduction in GHG emissions when waste biomass is converted to heat.
The Honua Ola facility will reduce Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels by approximately 250,000 barrels of oil being imported each year to Hawaii Island for savings on imports of about $20 million per year that will go into the local economy, instead of enriching overseas petroleum companies.
4. Carbon Neutral/Negative
While carbon dioxide emitted in creating energy from wood chips, trees will release much of the carbon dioxide they store when they die and decompose. Bioenergy simply uses the trees before they die. If more biomass is planted than is used to create energy, more carbon dioxide will be sequestered than is released during energy production. For this reason, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers bioenergy a ‘carbon neutral’ process.
Renewable Energy: Can it truly deliver?
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