Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is an

electric cooperative A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members. Profits are either reinvested for infrastructure or distributed to members in ...

located on the island of

Kauaʻi Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the List of islands of th ...

in Hawaiʻi. With 35,000 member-owners represented by a nine-member board of directors, it is the only electric cooperative in the state of Hawaii, serving the only island in Hawaii not served by an electric utility controlled by Hawaiian Electric Industries.

Energy history

In the 1970s, Kauaʻi burned sugar cane waste to supply most of their electricity. , the majority of the Kauaʻi's electricity was produced by importing liquid

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

, costing $69.3 million in 2006 and $83 million in 2007. By 2011, 92% of KIUC's power came from petroleum. As of 2019, KIUC's fuel mix was 47.2%

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

s, 10.5%

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

, 9.9% biomass and 32.5%

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

. KIUC has successfully integrated large-scale solar into its grid so that, during daylight hours on most days, 100 percent of its generation comes from renewable sources. In March 2017, KIUC commissioned a 13 MW solar and 13 MW / 52

MWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

battery project for 13.9¢/kWh. In December 2018, KIUC commissioned a 28 MW solar and 20 MW / 100 MWh battery is priced at 11¢/kWh. A proposed solar-charged water pumping system will supply power throughout the night.

Corporate history

Kauaʻi Electric was incorporated in 1905 as a subsidiary of McBryde Sugar in order to construct a 2.4 MW hydroelectric plant on the Wainiha River. Kauaʻi Electric merged with Lihue Plantation's Waiahi Electric Company early in the 1950s. Kauaʻi Electric became a division of Citizens Utilities Company in 1969. In the late 1990s, Citizens Utilities announced its intentions to divest from the electric utility business and a group of business leaders from Kauaʻi joined to found the Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative in 1999. KIUC purchased Kauaʻi Electric Company on 1 November 2002 for $215 million. In December 2009, KIUC participated in hearings regarding its plan to minimize the effects its operations have on three endangered Hawaiian birds, the ʻuaʻu, the ʻaʻo, and the

band-rumped storm-petrel The band-rumped storm petrel, Madeiran storm petrel, or Harcourt's storm petrel (''Hydrobates castro'') is of the storm petrel family Hydrobatidae. Description The band-rumped storm petrel is 19–21 cm in length with a 43–46 cm wi ...

.State Plans Hearing On Kauai Utility Seabird Plan.
''KITV.'' 6 December 2009.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative Companies based in Hawaii Energy companies established in 1905 Electric cooperatives of the United States 1905 establishments in Hawaii American companies established in 1905