Formed by volcanic activity, the eight main Hawaiian Islands sit in the Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland. With a population of over 1 million people, Hawaii's need to generate its own electricity is vital. Hawaiians have approached the problem utilizing several different methods of power generation.
Hawaii relies heavily on imported petroleum via its two oil refineries on Oahu. The petroleum is distributed to its petroleum power plants by sea and road, as no pipeline system exists on the Islands. Coal is also imported and burned at Hawaii's sole coal-fired power plant on Oahu. These fossil fuels provided 86 percent of Hawaii's electricity-generation needs in 2014.
Hawaii's location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean gives rise to the use of wind as an electricity-generating source with wind farms on Hawaii and Maui in operation since 1985 and 2006, respectively. As of 2014, Hawaii's wind farms produced 4 percent of Hawaii's total electricity produced, with further projects planned for the islands of Molokai, Lanai and Oahu.
Hawaii's sugar cane industry plays a role in electricity generation for the Hawaiian Islands. Sugar cane is processed into a biomass substance, known as Bagasse, and used as a fuel to generate power. The use of Bagasse became widespread in the 1970s and provided 3 percent of Hawaii’s electricity in 2014.
The Hawaiian Islands make use of heat produced by the volcano Kilauea to generate electricity. A facility located in the Puna district of Hawaii Island converts heat from volcanic magma into steam that in turn drives turbines to generate electricity. Online since 1993, the plant was generating around 2 percent of Hawaii's electricity needs in 2014.
Hydroelectric power stations were first used on Hawaii to provide electricity for the sugar cane industry. Power stations now provide power to the electric grid on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai and Maui. The Wailuku River Hydroelectric Plant is the largest generator of hydroelectric power, with 1 percent of Hawaii’s electricity generated using this method, as of 2014.
Solar and photovoltaic energy has been used at a local level in Hawaii since the 1970s. Projects to use solar panels to heat water and generate electricity on a larger scale have enabled 14 large-scale projects to provide power to schools across the Hawaiian Islands as of 2004. In addition, Hawaii produces electricity by tapping the energy of the ocean. Using marine hydrokinetic technology, the energy of moving water is converted to electricity by means of devices that spin in the water or bob on the surface. As of 2014, 4 percent of the Islands' electricity came from sources such as these.
