Dec 2 2010
Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) is using a new kind of biodiesel at its power generation station located in the Campell Industrial Park. The biodiesel is made from waste animal fat and cooking oil.
The production of power using biodiesel will help the company in satisfying the energy demands of Oahu at peak hours. The plant will generate a maximum of 110 MW of electricity.
HECO's generating station
The Executive Vice President of HECO, Robbie Alm, said that the plant will manage the spike, when people return home in the evening and switch everything on. At the time of blackouts, the unit can restart other power facilities of the utility in just half the time. Among all the units in the island, this is the fastest starting one, Alm noted.
The biodiesel-powered power station will lessen the time needed to recover the system by at least two hours. The facility was built for $1.9 million, in two years. HECO has collaborated with communities and installed additional monitoring units along the leeward coast.
The aim of HECO is to fulfill 40% of the island’s electricity need from renewable sources by the year 2030.