Earth Day 2024: Our Green Bottom Line
By Jan TenBruggencate, Board of Directors
It has been 16 years since KIUC passed a bold strategic plan committing the cooperative to achieving 50% renewable generation within 15 years. Our cooperative hit that goal out of the park, surpassing it years ahead of schedule.
At the time, we were more than 90% oil-fired. We had just acquired a new fossil fuel plant and were planning another. But because of that 2008 strategic commitment, KIUC canceled the proposed GenX fossil fuel plant and negotiated instead for its first utility-scale solar array. It would be 12 megawatts, by far the biggest in the state at the time.
Could solar power work at a utility scale? That wasn’t clear. It was a scary step, but still a baby step into a sustainable, renewable energy future.
A decade and a half later, the utility’s green credentials are clear. On many sunny days, we operate a grid that is 100% renewable from morning until late in the day. Only 30 to 40% of our overall energy is generated from fossil fuels. We have big solar fields in Mānā, Port Allen, Lāwaʻi, Kōloa, Kapaia, Kapaʻa and Anahola.
We have significant battery capacity for storing that daytime energy and delivering it to the grid at night, and we are expanding that battery capacity.
We receive power from six hydroelectric plants around the island. When it’s rainy and the solar arrays aren’t at capacity, the hydro plants benefit. It is a good renewable balance.
One of our biggest generators, Mahipapa LLC at Knudsen Gap near Halfway Bridge, is a closed-loop biomass plant that burns eucalyptus wood grown locally specifically for that purpose.
One of the mantras of the green energy movement earlier this century was that you could do renewables, but they would be expensive. KIUC has turned that on its head. We had the highest electricity rates in the state when we started, and now our rates are the lowest in the state.
We have done that by aggressively negotiating new energy contracts, taking advantage of subsidies and grants, and keeping our costs under control.
We have come far, but we are far from done.
Our updated strategic goal is 100% renewable by 2033, even though we are working against moving goalposts. The island’s growth and increasing electrification—think electric vehicles— mean our total electrical need rises regularly.
The new goal is more difficult to achieve than the 2008 goal. We are looking at all available technologies, including pumped hydroelectric, but solar arrays with battery storage are currently the most cost-effective. Because of that, we have been in discussions with landowners for siting additional large solar arrays.
Solar plus battery storage gets us closer to our goal, but the challenge of several days of cloudy weather is real. What do we do if there isn’t enough sun to charge the batteries?
We believe we will achieve 100% renewable energy by burning biofuels in our existing oil-fired generators to cover challenging periods. But biodiesel prices are currently high and would put upward pressure on electricity prices.
KIUC has received awards for being a national leader in renewable energy. But it’s not just about eco-green. It’s also about cash green. So, we will continue searching for alternatives that can produce reliable, renewable electricity for our members at the lowest cost possible.
That is a clear mission. As all of us on the board and staff are member-owners of our community cooperative, we are all committed to getting it done.