Kaheawa Wind Power is one of the largest

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...

s in Hawaii. It is located on the island of Maui above the town of Maalaea in the

West Maui Mountains The West Maui Mountains, West Maui Volcano, or Mauna Kahālāwai which means "holding house of water," is approximately 1.7 million years old and forms a much eroded shield volcano that constitutes the western quarter of Maui. Since its last er ...

. Phase one (KWP I) of the project was completed in 2006 by developer and operator First Wind and produces 30 MW from 20 GE Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines. Phase two (KWP II), completed in July 2012, built 14 turbines below phase one with an additional 21 MW for a total capacity of 51 MW serving 18,700 homes. Kaheawa is the first wind farm in the United States to use a

Habitat Conservation Plan A Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is a required part of an application for an Incidental Take Permit, a permit issued under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) to private entities undertaking projects that might result in the destruct ...

(HCP) to protect the long term health of local species, including three endemic birds and one endemic bat.

Geography

Kaheawa Wind Power is located between the 2000–3000 foot elevation in Kaheawa Pastures in the Lahaina District, on the slopes of the Ukumehame land division ('' ahupuaa'') of the

. The site is bounded by Papalaua Gulch in the west and Manawainui Gulch in the east. Phase two of the project is located on the Kaheawa Ridge at the 1800–2700 foot elevation, just southeast of KWP I.

Background

The first wind project was proposed in 1996. Zond Pacific installed a series of six

anemometer In meteorology, an anemometer () is a device that measures wind speed and direction. It is a common instrument used in weather stations. The earliest known description of an anemometer was by Italian architect and author Leon Battista Alberti ...

s in the area to collect and study wind data. The project was developed by several companies before UPC Wind Partners, LLC and Makani Nui Associates, LLC formed a partnership. An environmental impact statement (EIS) was approved in 1999, followed by a Conservation District Use Application in 2003.

Development

In September 2006, Kaheawa Wind Power began negotiating with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to expand the wind farm. In February 2011, MECO finalized a power purchasing agreement to buy power from an additional 14 turbines under construction for phase two of the wind farm, which planned to add a new 10 MW battery energy storage system (BESS). The 14 new turbines and battery storage system went online on July 2, 2012.

Specifications

Habitat

Kaheawa Wind Farm 837674964 5449cf8da5 o

The environmental impact statement for Kaheawa led to the development of a

habitat conservation plan A Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is a required part of an application for an Incidental Take Permit, a permit issued under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) to private entities undertaking projects that might result in the destruct ...

(HCP), the first HCP ever used for a wind farm of this scale in the United States. The plan helps fund conservation efforts for four protected species, including three endemic birds and one endemic bat: the

Hawaiian goose The nene (''Branta sandvicensis''), also known as the nēnē or the Hawaiian goose, is a species of bird Endemism in birds, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Kauai, Mo ...

(''nene''), the Hawaiian petrel (''uau''), the Hawaiian shearwater (''ao''), and the

Hawaiian hoary bat The Hawaiian hoary bat (''Lasiurus semotus''), also known as ''ōpeapea'', is a species of bat endemic to the islands of Hawaii. Whereas the mainland hoary bat (''L. cinereus'') is found throughout North America, the Hawaiian hoary bat is distrib ...

(''opeapea''). The project is also researching how to best protect the nesting areas of seabirds. The initial construction of the wind farm required restoration efforts for several plant species in the area. More than 24,000 native plants were eventually restored, comprising species such as ''

Dodonaea viscosa ''Dodonaea viscosa'', also known as the broadleaf hopbush, is a species of flowering plant in the '' Dodonaea'' (hopbush) genus that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, sout ...

'' (''aalii''), ''

Metrosideros polymorpha ''Metrosideros polymorpha'', the ''ōhia lehua'', is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations ...

'' (''Ōhia lehua''), ''

Bidens micrantha ''Bidens micrantha'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name grassland beggarticks. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it and other ''Bidens'' species are known as ''kōokoolau''. It occurs in many ...

'' (''kookoolau''), ''

Wikstroemia oahuensis ''Wikstroemia oahuensis'', the Ākia or Oahu false ohelo, is a species of Flowering plant, flowering shrub in the Daphne mezereum, mezereon family, Thymelaeaceae, that is Endemism, endemic to Hawaii, Hawaii. Description In the wild, ākia can gr ...

'' (''akia''), and ''

Heteropogon contortus ''Heteropogon contortus'' is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia, Oceania, and southwestern North America. The species has also become a naturalised weed i ...

'' (''pili''). The habitat also includes ''

Sida fallax ''Sida fallax'', known as yellow ilima or golden mallow, is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the ''Hibiscus'' family, Malvaceae, indigenous to the Hawaiian Archipelago and other Pacific Islands. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are ...

'' (''ilima''), ''

Sophora chrysophylla ''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of ...

'' (''māmane''), ''

Lycopodiella cernua ''Lycopodiella'' is a genus in the clubmoss Family (biology), family Lycopodiaceae. The genus members are commonly called bog clubmosses, describing their wetland habitat (ecology), habitat. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with centers ...

'' (''wāwaeiole''), and two invasive species, ''

Leucaena leucocephala ''Leucaena leucocephala'' is a small fast-growing mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia. Common names include jumbay, ...

'' (''koa haole'') and '' Cenchrus ciliaris''. In September 2015, SunEdison discovered that the turbines were killing more hoary bats than had been predicted in the initial ecological review.Wind turbines killing more hoary bats than expected
Honolulu Star Advertiser (2015-09-12). Retrieved on 2016-07-08. They petitioned the Endangered Species Recovery Committee for permission to increase the number of bats that can die in the lifespan of the turbines from 14 to 80.

Notes

References

*Hao, Sean. (September 12, 2006)
Wind farm capacity to double
''Honolulu Advertiser''. *Hawaiian Electric Company. (February 15, 2011)
Newly approved contract clears path for largest wind energy project in Hawaii
''Hawaii's Energy Future''. *Hollier, Dennis. (April 2010)
Building a Smart Grid
''Hawaii Business''. 55 (10), 36-43. *Imada, Lee. (July 6, 2012)

''The Maui News''. *''Kaheawa Wind Power''. (2006). Makani Nui Associates, LLC., Kahului, Hawaii. *Kaheawa Wind Power II, LLC. (April 2010). Kaheawa Wind Power II Wind Energy Generation Facility. Habitat Conservation Plan. Ukumehame, Maui, Hawaii. *Leone, Diana. (September 20, 2006)

''Honolulu Star-Bulletin''. *MECO gets ok to buy power from Kaheawa II wind farm. (February 11, 2011). ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. *Planning Solutions. (December 2007). Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice. Kaheawa Wind Power II Wind Energy Generation Facility. Ukumehame, Maui, Hawaii. *Shimogawa, Duane. (November 18, 2011)

''Pacific Business News''. *Ubay, Jason. (July 2008)
Maui's Bumpy Road to Renewable Energy
''Hawaii Business''. 54 (1), 28-34. *Wilson, Christie. (July 18, 2006). Maui wind farm goes online. ''Honolulu Advertiser'', A1. *Wireless News. (June 28, 2011) First Wind Promos 5-Year Anniversary of Commercial Operations for Kaheawa Wind Power. Close-Up Media, Inc. *WSB-Hawaii. (1999). ''Final: Kaheawa Pastures 20 MW windfarm, Maui, Hawaii: Environmental Impact Statement''. Kaneohe, HI: The Firm.

External links

{{commons category, Kaheawa Wind Power
Official site
Wind farms in Hawaii Energy infrastructure completed in 2012 2012 establishments in Hawaii