Energy secretary hails Oahu wind project
OAHU, HAWAII - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu says a wind farm planned for Oahu is using innovative technology and could set an example for other wind farms across the country.
Kahuku Wind Power LLC will use batteries to store energy generated by the farm's wind turbines.
The system will allow Kahuku Wind to deliver a steady supply of power to local utility Hawaiian Electric Co., even as wind levels fluctuate.
The wind farm is also will use advanced wind turbine generators. The facility is expected to be finished late this year or early next year.
Chu spoke to news media in a conference call, shortly after the Department of Energy finalized a $117 million loan guarantee for Kahuku Wind Power to build the farm.
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New Rules for a Future Puerto Rico Microgrid Landscape
PUERTO RICO - The Puerto Rico Energy Commission unveiled 29 pages of proposed regulations last week for future microgrid installations on the island.
The regulations, which are now open for 30 days of public comment, synthesized pages of responses received after a November 10 call for recommendations. Commission chair José Román Morales said it’s the most interest the not-yet four-year-old commission has received during a public rulemaking process.
The goal was to sketch a clearer outline for a tricky-to-define concept -- the term "microgrid" can refer to many types of generation islanded from the central grid -- as more developers eye installations…
