Hawaii Wind Working Group > Hawaii's Windiest Locations

Hawaii's Windiest Locations

STATE OF HAWAII - including offshore

In 1981, Battelle Labs published a "wind atlas of the United States" which had preliminary estimates of wind resources throughout the U.S. The Hawaii map from that atlas is shown below. Areas with wind power class 4 or above (average wind speeds greater than 15.7 mph) are generally considered to have potential for wind energy production. The 1981 map indicated that every island had some amount of wind resource potential. Areas with greatest potential were on the south and north shores of Kauai; Oahu's mountain ridges; Molokai's west end; the south shore of Maui's middle; the north half of Lanai; Kohala mountain (north end) of the Big Island; and the southern tip of the Big Island.

Additional wind resource data has been collected since that time; the measured data validated some of the estimates in the 1981 map but not all. For example, the "Lalamilo wells" site on the Big Island, with an average wind speed in excess of 20 miles per hour (i.e. Class 7, "superb" resource), is shown on the 1981 map as having a resource potential of only class 2 or 3. On Kauai, the measurement taken at Anahola (east end) showed less wind than predicted, but measurements taken north of Hanapepe (several miles inland from the southern shore) showed considerably greater potential (class 5).

Wind data is important when siting a wind farm or wind turbine. Both micro-site-specific data and long-term data are necessary.

Site-specific data: the amount of energy that can be generated can be quite different at locations just a few yards away from each other, especially in mountainous terrain. Knowing the wind flow patterns at the site can avoid installation of the turbine(s) in spots with less wind or with too much tubulence.

Long-term data: wind measurements taken over a short period of time (days, weeks, or even months) may not be accurate predictors of the wind resource at that location over a longer period of time.

Before embarking on long term data collection, of course, wind resource experts identify potentially good sites by talking to local residents and by looking at existing indicators. For example, vegetation in the area can be an indicator. In consistently windy locations, the wind causes certain types of plants to exhibit what is called "brushing" (branches and twigs bend away from the wind) or "flagging" (branches are longer on the downwind side and shorter or missing on the upwind side).

Wind mapping has also been undertaken by Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development. A series of wind resource maps for the five-state region, as well as for selected portions of California, Nevada, and Utah, are available at the Wind Power Maps Web site at: www.windpowermaps.org/windmaps/windmaps.asp.

Hawaii's Windiest Locations

Kauai

Oahu

Maui County

Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe

Hawaii

STATE OF HAWAII - including offshore

1981 Map

Wind Data