There is a Hawaiian saying, ola i ke ahe lau makani, meaning “there is life in the breath of the wind.” As early as the late 1970s, the Hawaiian Electric companies began the quest to tap the wind as a source of renewable energy for their islands.

Harnessing the power of the wind has huge potential but presents challenges. Wind power is intermittent, fluctuating with the breezes, making it difficult to maintain grid stability. Thus, backup storage and a variable power smoothing capacity are essential for optimum output. And many times, the best wind sites are far from where the power is needed. Therefore, companies need to make a significant investment in infrastructure, from roads to reach the remote turbine sites to power lines to bring the electricity to market.

Earlier this year, construction began on what will become the state's largest wind energy project, Kahuku Wind. With an estimated generation capacity of 80,000 MWh per year, the Kahuku Wind project will not only boost the utility's power generation capacity, but also help the company reach its state's aggressive goal of supplying 40% of its electricity needs with clean, renewable sources by 2030.

But before turbines could be erected on Oahu's North Shore, area transmission and distribution equipment needed to be re-evaluated to provide optimum capability. Hawaiian Electric engineers and planners worked closely with Kahuku Wind to ensure proper citing of equipment and lines, and the utility's line crew played an integral part in moving this important project forward.

A Safe Learning Environment

One of the planned upgrades included the relocation of 22 previously existing poles running along 2 miles of nearby Kamehameha Highway, which proved to be a perfect training opportunity for the apprentice linemen.

Safety is a top priority at Hawaiian Electric. As such, it plays a key role in the company's training program. When the training committee found that some of the upgrades needed for the installation of the Kahuku Wind project could be worked de-energized, they jumped at the opportunity to provide hands-on, real-world training for their apprentices. The work was challenging, but it was in a controlled environment.

Once the area was cleared of thick brush and the Kahuku Wind construction crews provided rudimentary roads to the site, training began. Supervised by the training team, a crew of 11 apprentices and four trainers took the lead in detailing the project, scheduling travel to the remote site, planning the work day, and requesting the equipment and tools needed.

To develop the apprentices' climbing and job-planning skills, it was determined that all on-pole work would be done without the aid of a bucket truck. The apprentices climbed the newly planted poles to install the necessary hardware, and hang the rollers and ropes that aided in stringing the lines. The crews learned quickly to understand all aspects of the job and plan their work before taking that first step up the pole.

Training on how to use 100% fall protection was also required for all apprentices using the BuckSqueeze wood-pole fall-restriction device. This device provides protection during ascent and descent and, with the use of a secondary lanyard, protects the user while climbing over obstacles. For the safety of its workforce, Hawaiian Electric plans to train all linemen on this system, but for now, it is focusing on training the apprentices.

And although the apprentices weren't allowed to use the buckets, the training team used them to position themselves carefully to be able to observe the apprentices at work, offer climbing tips, monitor them for safety and make sure strict installation standards were observed.

After all of the lines were installed, a smaller team of more experienced primary apprentice linemen inspected the lines, prepared them to be energized and tied the circuit to the grid.

The successful completion of this three-week project was a true accomplishment for the apprentice crew. They pulled together to do the job safely, ahead of schedule and up to the highest standards. Their hard work and dedication not only helped them become better linemen, but the circuit they completed will carry clean, green energy into the communities.

Lifting Lines

Another challenging aspect of this project was the delivery of construction materials. The massive towers and blades were brought in by barge and delivered to the deep-draft harbor at Kalaeloa on the west side of the island. After being unloaded onto trailers, the materials needed to be trucked to the site in Kahuku on the North Shore.

The truck had to travel through vast, open pineapple and sugar cane fields, then skirt the scenic North Shore, and finally wind along a two-lane road at the edge of the ocean. While this is a scenic drive, it presented a challenge for the drivers who had to tow a load of turbine blades.

Because of the length of the trailers, the company needed traffic control when the trailers navigated sharp turns. And the height of the trailer loads required that Hawaiian Electric line crews be called in prior to transport to lift electrical lines about 6 feet at several locations to allow for safe clearance.

Partnering with Kahuku Wind, Hawaiian Electric's line crews helped to ensure the equipment and materials were delivered safely and without major inconvenience to the surrounding community.

Work Continues

As the specially built, enormous cranes continue their careful work in assembling the 12 turbines, Hawaiian Electric linemen will be on hand to assist in upgrading lines and facilities to ensure the grid connection is completed safely and to the highest standards.

The utility's partnership with Kahuku Wind has been beneficial in many ways. Not only does it bring Hawaiian Electric and the state one step closer to achieving its clean energy goals, but the utility has benefited from the unique challenges and learning opportunities that a renewable project of this size and in this remote locate has offered.

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Fred Kana'i Kauhane (fred.kauhane@heco.com) has been with the Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. for 22 years. He worked for 14 years as a lineman and spent four years in the trouble department before moving into management as a training supervisor for the construction and maintenance department.

Editor's note: For more information about the Kahuku Wind project, visit www.kahukuwind.com.

Fast Facts

When completed at the end of 2010, the Kahuku Wind project will consist of:

• Twelve 2.5-MW Clipper Liberty wind turbines with the capacity to generate an estimated 80,000 MWh each year — enough energy to power the equivalent of 7,700 Oahu homes, reduce oil consumption by about 153,000 barrels a year, and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 96 million pounds per year, according to statistics from the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy.

• An innovative battery energy storage system was designed to assist in meeting performance standards and smoothing fluctuations in wind energy output, providing as much as 10 MW of power for at least an hour during periods of low wind speeds.

• A microwave communication system will connect the wind project to the Hawaiian Electric system operations and dispatch center.

Companies mentioned:

Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. www.heco.com

Kahuku Wind www.kahukuwind.com