Welcome to Kahuku Wind

     Turbines:   12

     Capacity:   30 MW

     COD:          March 1, 2011

     Location:   Oahu, HI

Kahuku Wind is First Wind’s second project in Hawaii, and builds on Hawaii’s longstanding tradition of self-sufficiency, providing a local and renewable energy solution.  Located on the North Shore of Oahu Hawai’i, Kahuku Wind is made up of 12 state-of-the-art 2.5 MW wind turbines, comprising a total generating capacity of 30 MW. Together, they produce enough power for up to 7,700 homes on Oahu.  

Kahuku Wind is also an excellent demonstration of First Wind’s innovative approach to wind projects.  In partnership with Xtreme Power and HECO, First Wind installed a 15 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to assist in smoothing the wind energy output for the grid.  This allows the wind power to be more easily incorporated into a relatively small island-based grid.  While this innovative use of battery technology won’t necessarily be replicated outside of Hawaii - on the mainland, the interconnection of regional grids helps articulate continous changes in supply and demand - the project demonstrates that intermittency can be managed even on a small scale. 

The Kahuku Wind team continues to meet with community members, public officials, organizations, and institutions to discuss the benefits of wind energy for the state of Hawaii and to the Kahuku community. We welcome your participation in this dialogue. 

Hu ka makani! The wind blows towards a sustainable future for our keiki!