Natural Energy

The most interesting part of this place was something I couldn't photograph which was one set of solar panels, built by the government, directed one way and a solar farm, built by a private company, directed another way. Who is right? Based on what the sun path would be for this location...private company 1, government 0.

Today was mostly a back and forth between the airport to get my boys, but next to the airport was the Natural Energy Lab. As the guide books mention, the Natural Energy Lab was set up in the 70's to create electricity using the temperature difference between 38 degrees (F) at the deep sea level and 80 degrees at the surface. I can imagine what the grant for this must have looked like..."As oil becomes more and more untenable through the 80's we must look to sources of sustainable energy that can be generated right here on American soil. With the Hawaii Natural Energy Lab we will be able to address this critical need with an ever renewable source, the natural temperature stratification of the ocean..." Unfortunately, most of the waters that touch American soil don't have 80 degree surface temperatures and the idea was mostly scraped. The land is now mostly divided between private companies that are working on your garden variety oceanic science projects. Microalgae energy generation, solar farms, some of the deep sea work, along with pharmaceutical companies, fish farms and best of all a sea horse farm!

I should point out that while the idea of electricity generation from deep sea temperature variance may have been a little off the mark, the location was a bullseye. Those of us that think we got it good with Lawrence Berkeley Lab being on a hill, have been fooled. This was the 4:00pm scene right next to the main lab:

Notice the bbq tents in the background.

Oh yeah, and then there was...