wiredinUSA January2014

wiredInUSA - January 2014

The head of Hawaii’s state

energy office believes

that a proposed undersea

power grid connection

between the islands of

Oahu and Maui could

result in savings for

ratepayers. “It’s up to the

HPUC

(Hawaii

Public

Utilities Commission) to make sure that savings are

passed on to ratepayers,” said Mark Glick.

The grid tie is considered essential for Hawaii to pursue

its renewable energy goal.

Glick also said that the inter-island link will be an

important initial step toward the ultimate goal of

utilizing geothermal energy from Hawaii Island, which

would involve connecting the island to Maui. “We

see renewable energy as a driving force in the state’s

economy,” he said. “It’s the third leg of our economy

[and] our goal is to deploy clean energy infrastructure

to stimulate energy transformation that will lead to

growth.”

In 2008 the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative set goals

for the state to derive 70 percent of its electricity

from renewable sources by 2030 — 40 percent from

locally generated sources and 30 percent from energy

conservation. Glick says that, unofficially, the state

is currently beyond 15 percent renewable and 15

percent in efficiency and will be in excess of its 2015

goals.

Grid-tie

for Hawaii

HVDC report

Growth in electricity demand is only one factor in the growth

of HVDC transmission. HVDC allows the interconnection of

regional systems operating asynchronously, avoiding many

instability issues that could cause outages in AC transmission.

WhileACtransmission still dominates the transmission industry,

doubts concerning the limited capability of classic HVDC

transmission have been removed by the development of

voltage-source converters (VSCs).

A new report from Navigant Research forecasts a growth

in demand for HVDC technology. The market is growing

steadily, and following discussions with vendors and project

developers, Navigant Research forecasts that global

cumulative HVDC converter revenue will amount to $56.6

billion between 2013 and 2020.

This report offers an analysis of HVDCmarket issues, including

trends, drivers, challenges, opportunities, and regulatory

factors. An inventory of HVDC lines in construction or

planned is used as a basis for the global capacity and

revenue forecasts, which are segmented by converter type

and region and extend through 2020.

The report also examines key issues such as how HVDC

transmission systems perform in comparison to HVAC

equivalents; what is the average HVDC transmission

capacity at various voltage levels for announced projects;

how much do voltage- and current-source converters and

cables cost; and what is the potential converter market

worldwide.

The report is addressed to government agencies and

regulators, the investor community, manufacturers and

channel partners of transmission equipment, HVDC

converter and cable equipment suppliers, renewable

energy companies and equipment and service providers.

INDEX

wire In - Ja ary 2014