Built above the town of Maalaea in the West Maui Mountains of Hawaii, Kaheawa II challenged the project team because of the site's steep terrain, high winds and corrosiveness. Still, the wind farm was delivered in October 2012 on schedule and on budget.
Kaheawa II comprises 14 1.5-MW turbines located below Phase 1 and adds 21 MW of power generation for an overall combined capacity of 51 MW. Among the innovations was the use of a battery energy storage system that maximizes wind energy efficiency and helps ensure reliability for Maui Electric Co. customers, says Haile Henry, RMT project manager.