Wind power will gain from airing in public
The jury is still out on the prospects for wind power as part of Hawai'i's energy portfolio. But the good news is that O'ahu residents have a place at the table where the final decisions will be made.
Hawaiian Electric Co. held a series of hearings aimed at finding out if residents want the company to make a renewed attempt to develop a "farm" of wind-propelled turbines, this time on the ridges above the Kahe power plant on the Leeward Coast.
Some residents are worried about the visual impact of the windmills, taller and more slender and than those erected above Kahuku 20 years ago in HECO's last, failed experiment with wind energy.
Elsewhere in the state, similar private enterprises are in the works at Hawi and South Point on the Big Island and Kaheawa on the slopes of West Maui. Clearly, what's driving the renewed interest in wind energy is the generous federal tax credit that's due to expire at the end of the year.
Critics point to self-interest among private developers as the reason for the drive, but that doesn't eliminate the primary justification for wind power in Hawai'i: the need to develop alternative energy strategies so that we can loosen the ties that tether the state to fossil fuels.
The detractors also charge that the true costs of wind are concealed because the taxpayers are underwriting part of the expense, through the federal credits.
But it's still essential that Hawai'i get in on the development of the still-fledgling industry, in which technology improvements are sure to continue driving costs downward.
The bottom line is that HECO is doing the right thing by proceeding in consultation with the community. This will help to ensure that if the Kahe project moves ahead, there would be no unanticipated public backlash to delay things further.
Hawaiian Electric appears to have learned from its public-relations missteps of the past — the uproar over the Wa'ahila Ridge transmission lines in particular. Wind power may in fact pick up speed because of the company's more collaborative approach to planning.
