Prospecting for Meteorological Energy in Hawaii

Abstract

Hawaii, with no indigenous fossil fuel resources, is particularly susceptible to oil shortages; hence, surveys have been underway for some time to evaluate the potential of wind and insolation as alternate energy sources. Since numerical modeling of the wind field is inadequate, we have been using fixed and mobile stations to monitor the wind distribution, finding that on parts of each of the main islands average speeds are more than adequate for economic power generation. A radiometer network on Oahu and scattered measurements elsewhere reveal that over most areas sheltered from the trade winds, insulation is as high as anywhere in the continental United States. We are using cloudiness data from weather satellites to refine the insolation maps. On recent field programs, we measured wind, insulation, temperature, humidity, and rainfall, aiming at improving our understanding of physical processes and at developing methods of wind and insulation forecasting.