Wind and solar could supply 25% of Oahu's power by 2014

Oahu could satisfy one fourth of its electricity demand with wind and solar energy by 2014, including power from proposed wind farms on Lanai and Molokai that would transmit power to Oahu via undersea cables, according to a report released today.

The study found that the Hawaiian Electric Co. grid on Oahu could accommodate 600 megawatts of renewable power, including 400 megawatts of wind power transmitted by undersea cable from Lanai and Molokai. The study also assumed the production of 100 megawatts of wind and 100 megawatts of solar power on Oahu.

The renewable power, equal to 25 percent of Oahu’s electricity needs, would eliminate the need to burn 2.8 million barrels of oil and 132,000 tons of coal each year, according to the report conducted by General Electric Co. and funded by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute and HECO.

The proposed wind farms on Lanai and Molokaim which are still in the early planning stages, have generated considerable community opposition there.