Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) in the US has secured approval from the Hawaii state Board of Land and Natural Resources for a pumped hydro energy storage project.
KIUC will now be able to access the Puu Lua Reservoir and state land in order to undertake feasibility work, including engineering and geotechnical studies.
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It will also negotiate separate agreements with the state Agribusiness Development for the lease of land on the Mana Plain, where a lower storage pond would be constructed.
To be located on the island’s west side, the 25MW project is expected to cost around $65m and will be completed by 2019.
When completed, the hydro project will cater to the need of capturing cheap and excess solar energy generated during the day, store it, and then use it at night when demand for electricity is high.
It will utilize Puu Lua as an upper storage pond linked by a five-mile-long buried steel pipeline to a lower pond.
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By GlobalDataThe project will generate about 13% of the energy used on Kauai.
KIUC said the cost of energy produced by the system would be about 35% less than the cost of oil and once paid off.
The cooperative needs to secure an environmental assessment and a separate lease agreement for the water it will utilize.
