General Electric Chooses Hawaiian Resort as Test Site for Smart Grid

The most fossil-dependent state in the U.S. will become a testing ground for energy-saving technologies

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 10.13.2009 at 10:09 am 5 Comments

Clean Energy Fun You know what else this island could use, guys? Smart grids ABC

A Maui resort community is slated for a new smart grid, courtesy of General Electric. The power grid will cut back energy costs by automatically turning off household appliances when electricity prices soar, and aims for the 2012 goal of reducing peak electricity consumption by 15 percent.

The community of Wailea will see new power meters in homes that help monitor electricity usage among different appliances, according to AP. Part of the project also involves upgrading utility computers so that they can better integrate renewable energy from more unpredictable sources such as solar and wind.

Hawaii currently must import 90 percent of its energy from outside, but has set a goal of trying to pull in 70 percent of power from clean energy by 2030. Maui can currently get up to 30 megawatts from wind energy, in comparison to peak loads of 200 megawatts -- but even just getting roughly 10 percent of its total energy from wind can lead to grid complications due to minute-by-minute fluctuations.

Half of the $14 million in funding for the Maui Smart Grid comes from federal economic recovery money funneled through the Department of Energy, and the rest from General Electric and Hawaiian Electric.

Wailea would join about 70 smart grid plots that exist nationwide, and perhaps represent another step toward reinventing the U.S. power grid to accommodate future visions of cleaner energy.

[AP via Scientific American]

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5 Comments

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James2

10/13/09 at 11:06 pm

Ever been to Wailea? You have to have deep pockets to reside there. Every home there is a McMansion. I suppose a self-contained community like this is an ideal test subject, but a truly smart(er) grid would be one that can handle the town of Kihei just down the road, where there's a mix of new and old, big and small, hotels and hovels, and strip malls galore.

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ford2go

10/14/09 at 12:15 am

If James2 is correct, I hope that this is just an initial test. The normal situation would probably be messier and closer to the town of Kihei.

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suggestivesimon

10/14/09 at 7:53 am

Mmm... Evangeline Lilly can smarten my grid when she wants.

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gdepratt

10/14/09 at 4:41 pm

OK, with all the volcanoes.....why isn't Hawaii using more geothermal power?? I whould think there would be plenty to power about everything over there....

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mwa3c

10/16/09 at 8:02 am

With all that water, don't you think that they could use brine batteries to supplement? OR ocean current / wave generators, heck, why not even use wind mills? seriously, an island, in the middle of the ocean, what more ideal condition do you need to use alternative sources?

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