The United States’ government has been handing out loans in order to support renewable energy. Thus far, eight projects have been given large loans in order to begin construction. The most recent loan was granted to the First Wind Holdings, based in Boston. The project they proposed was for a large-scale wind farm in Hawaii.

First Wind has created Kahuku Wind Power to be based in Oahu, Hawaii. The total loan the U.S. Department of Energy has given the company is $117 million. This amount has been estimated to be able to cover the twelve wind turbine generators the company is planning to construct.

Overall, the plan is to have a 30-megawatt wind farm on the island of Oahu. Each wind turbine will generate 2.5 megawatts and the entire project will be able support 7,700 homes in total. The electricity will be handled through the Hawaiian Electric Company.

It is unknown when construction will actually begin, however, as the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission needs to approve the project. The project will have a battery system that will allow for excess energy storage, which will increase the stability of the wind energy supply. The project is expected to be a success due to the steady wind Oahu is accustomed to.

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