Solar Offers Bright Future

Thursday, November 06, 2008
Sarah Ruppenthal

Expert explores successful development of solar technology on the Valley Isle. “A sustainable future starts with solar power… It’s just so cool.”

As the glow of the afternoon sun faded into the evening sky, more than 100 residents arrived at the Kihei Community Center on Tuesday, Oct. 28, for a “Public Meeting for a New Solar Energy Future.”

Eager to learn more about harnessing the sun’s rays to energize Maui’s homes and businesses, audience members settled into their chairs to hear Abengoa Solar Inc. Chief Operating Officer Scott Frier discuss the development of solar technology on the Valley Isle. As he introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Sierra Club Maui Chapter Chairman Lance Holter reiterated the mounting energy challenges facing island residents, asking all in attendance to take a moment and recognize, “All of what we see around us is because of the sun… the sun is the energy that gives us the power to live.”

As he took the stage, Frier echoed Holter’s sentiments. “A sustainable future starts with solar power,” he said. “I see an enormous opportunity for energy independence here on Maui.”

Heralded as the world’s leading developer of solar technologies, Abengoa Solar Inc. has been building and managing Solar Electric Generating Systems (SEGS) for more than two decades. Based in Spain, but operating worldwide, Abengoa is currently developing the 280-megawatt (MW) Solana Generating Station project in Southwestern Arizona. When completed, it will be the largest solar facility in the history of mankind.

And given the company’s impressive record of success, Abengoa may very well be the optimistic ray of sunshine that Maui’s energy-conscious residents have been waiting for. While he admitted there is a lot of misinformation circulating about solar technology, Frier reminded audience members that solar power has been a trusted source of energy for “a very long time,” as the ancient Greeks used the sun to ignite the first Olympic torch. It is a stable, reliable resource, he said, which not only produces clean, renewable energy, but also stems the tide of imported fossil fuels and “harnesses local resources while retaining local wealth.” If Maui were to utilize a large installation of SEGS, Frier assured it would be a steady and “rock solid” investment that would create lasting environmental and economic solutions to our current energy woes. Calling his initial discovery of Hawai‘i’s electric rates and power grid structures “a jawdropper,” he encouraged audience members to consider solar as a viable alternative to the volatile economic and environmental impacts of fossil fuels.

Traveling to Maui last week on a “reconnaissance mission,” Frier said he thoroughly examined the lay of the land, including the present energy infrastructure, topography and weather patterns, in addition to the “political will and the will of the people.”

Following his in-depth assessment, he overwhelmingly gave a stamp of approval for developing and operating a solar facility on Maui. “I see a healthy nexus here,” he said.

Simply put, solar power plants convert sunlight into deliverable thermal energy by capturing the heat of the sun’s rays in parabolic mirrors and sending it along a pipeline where, at elevated temperatures, it drives a set of steam turbines to generate electricity. The end result, called concentrated solar thermal power, can provide energy to thousands of homes and businesses, and at a significantly lower rate than a fossil fuel burning electrical plant.

According to Frier, “You can craft a solar system to meet specific needs,” customizing facilities according to variables such as fossil fuel hybridization, energy storage and managing output for peak times and seasons.

For Maui, Frier said parabolic troughs would be the most suitable system; parabolic troughs are sleek, mirror-like structures that look like props from a science fiction movie—but offer a quiet, unobtrusive and low-profile collection system. “They are elegant in their simplicity,” he said. “And they easily maintained… and durable and resilient under wind stresses.”

So, where would Maui’s solar facility be located? Frier said an ideal site for a 50-MW solar power plant would be a 250-acre (five acres for every megawatt) stretch of land between Kaupo and ‘Ulapalakua, a veritable “hot spot” that would maximize the output of solar power. And as for the price tag, a 50-MW solar power plant would cost around $320 million. While the amount may seem staggering, Frier said a 50-MW facility would generate enough electricity to power one-fourth of the island, or 50,000 people, for nearly half of the current per-kilowatt hour cost—and save our precious natural environment in the process.

But the advantages don’t stop there—in addition to powering Maui’s homes and businesses, Frier said the construction of a solar generation facility could also jumpstart the local economy. “When you’re building solar, you’re building jobs,” said Frier. “You’re looking at creating hundreds of jobs during the construction phase of the power plant, and dozens of full-time jobs afterwards.” But the first step, he said, is encouraging government officials to see the light—literally. Faced with a plethora of alternative energy sources, legislators have encountered difficulty in narrowing it down to one choice for our renewable energy future.

Frier said he believes the lasting benefits of solar technology will speak for themselves, citing a proven track record, an ability to produce clean, renewable energy, immunity to price volatility and a boost to local economies.

But above all, he said, “It’s just so cool.”

For more information, visit http://www.abengoa.com/ or email abengoasolar@abengoa.com.