We are requesting implementation of the following wind turbine shut-down to conserve internationally-important offshore wind conditions when large swells are reaching the North Shore surf spots.  The shut-down would affect the proposed Champlin (Na Pua Makani) Wind Farm 58-129 hours per year; Kahuku Wind Farm would be shut down an estimated 29-82 hours per year; and Kawailoa Wind Farm would only need to shut down approximately zero to five hours per year.

We request implementation of wind turbine shut down under the following conditions:  “Feather wind turbine blades so the blades are oriented parallel to the wind, free-wheeling, not catching the wind, shut down, when the most recent NOAA reading on the Waimea buoy (Station 51201) is 8-feet, 14-seconds or higher and wind direction at the wind turbine is (see wind directions below) between sunrise and sunset when 10-minute average wind speed is higher than five mph.  This action will conserve the clean offshore wind conditions for surfers at the Velzyland to Waimea Bay surf breaks.  If the Waimea buoy is not operational, use the swell registered on the Kauai buoy (Station 51101) from five hours ago (because it takes approximately five hours for the swell to travel from the Kauai buoy to the North Shore surf breaks).  To minimize the need for the wind farm to monitor surf buoy data until an automated system can be developed, an agreed upon designated representative from the surf community would email or text a designated wind farm representative to inform the wind farm at the beginning of periods when swell conditions reach 8-feet, 14-seconds or higher and at the end of the swell event.”

Based on wave swell data downloaded from the buoy http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=51201 and the wind direction data from James Campbell Refuge’s weather station  https://wrcc.dri.edu/wraws/hiF.html we’ve assessed the number of hours this North Shore wind farm shutdown would have been for four years (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2015, the strongest El Nino in the data (when we get big surf more often)).  The proposed wind turbine shut down would have resulted in this many hours of wind turbine curtailment: 

Champlin (Na Pua Makani):  shut down during the day when wind direction is 86 to 111-degrees, over 5 mph, to conserve V-Land to Pipeline when swell is 8-ft, 14-seconds or larger): Oct 2004-Sept 2005:  shutdown would have been 69 total hours; Oct 2005-Sept 2006: shutdown would have been 58 total hours; Oct 2006-Sept 2007:  shutdown would have been 60 total hours; Oct 2015-Sept 2016: shutdown would be 129 hours.

NaPuaSurfWind with Waimea
Figure 1. Surf breaks in relation to existing Kahuku Wind Farm and proposed Champlin (Na Pua Makani) Wind Farm wake turbulence and increased air temperature zones under prevailing east, 90⁰, wind.

 Kahuku Wind Farm:  shut down during the day when wind direction 86-100-degrees, over 5 mph, to conserve V-Land to Sunset Beach when swell is 8-ft, 14-seconds or larger): Oct 2004-Sept 2005:  29 total hours; Oct 2005-Sept 2006: shutdown would have been 49 total hours; Oct 2006-Sept 2007:  shutdown would have been 45 total hours; Oct 2015-Sept 2016 (strongest El Nino in the data, when we get big surf): shutdown would have been 82 hours (a very important 82 hours – we would have been so grateful if these turbines had not been affecting our winds these hours).

Kawailoa Wind Farm: shut down daytime when wind direction 130-155-degrees to conserve Waimea Bay offshore Winds when swell is 10-feet, 14-seconds or larger (Waimea is not breaking at 8-feet, 14-seconds) and winds are stronger than 5 mph (because Kona winds are often light): Oct 2004-Sept 2005:  shutdown would have been five total hours; Oct 2005-Sept 2006: shutdown would have been zero total hours; Oct 2006-Sept 2007:  shutdown would have been one hour; Oct 2015-Sept 2016 (strongest El Nino in the data, when we get big surf): shutdown would have been two hours.