A recent letter asked an important question about the new AES solar farm (“More details needed on new Oahu solar project,” Star-Advertiser, June 17). It will supposedly displace 750,000 barrels of Hawaiian Electric fossil fuel over its 25-year lifetime, or 30,000 barrels annually. Unable to understand how AES arrived at that number, the letter rightly asked, “Why not speak plainly?”
Here’s some math to ponder: If 30,000 barrels is correct, that’s 0.5% of HECO’s 2022 fossil fuel usage (6 million barrels). The AES project land is 96 acres. Displacing 100% of HECO’s usage (Hawaii’s 2045 goal) would require the equivalent of 200 similar solar projects, covering 19,000 acres. Some estimates put coverage at over 30,000 acres, basically all the suitable land in Oahu’s central valley.
One hundred percent renewable power on Oahu won’t be a “mix”; it will have to be almost entirely solar. The impact on global carbon dioxide will be insignificant, but the future impact on the scarce open lands of Oahu will be huge.
Brian Barbata
Kailua
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