The Wrath of Pele

    When it comes to oil consumption, Hawaii is the number one consumer of oil in the nation. We are heavily dependent on foreign oil. It has been argued that the world is using oil at its peak, and that the use of fossil fuel is no longer sustainable. We need to act now, to change the way we power our electric grids.  And what better way to shift from the use of fossil fuels than switching to more alternative methods, such as geothermal?  Hawaii consumers are tired of paying high electric rates to Hawaii's electric companies, such as HECO. People are already looking at alternatives, like solar. However, HECO tries to limit the number of PV systems used within a certain area so that they can still make some profit. This is a perfect example of manipulating your clients, where some of the consumers are oblivious to what is really happening. I will now talk about geothermal in the Big Island and how the locals are not happy about it.

     A geothermal facility already exists on the Big Island. The facility is based in Pahoa, Big Island and it is called Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV). What makes Pahoa an ideal place for the geothermal plant is that there are several fractures from the magma that exists underground and what better way to place a geothermal plant than in Pahoa. Some people confuse fractures with fracking. The fractures that Puna utilizes already exists so the process is natural, while hydro-fracturing (fracking) releases natural gas manually using pressurized liquid. Ormat Technologies, Inc. owns this facility and its purpose is to create cleaner energy for the residents on the Big Island.¹ Although I could delve into the whole process of harnessing the energy but I want to focus more on the issue at hand, and that is the opposition to geothermal energy

1. "Puna Geothermal Venture: Clean Energy or Neighborhood Nuisance? | Hawaii Life ." Hawaii Real Estate | MLS Search | 

Homes for Sale | Hawaii Life. http://www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2013/07/puna- geothermal-venture/ (accessed October 7, 

2013).

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particularly in the rural areas. So why are the local residents not buying into geothermal? Although geothermal is providing alternative means to generating energy for local residents, it is reported to become a nuisance in the area. Along with the noise that come from the plant, local residents have reported that the emissions cause by the plant are also causing a concern.

     The Hawaii County Council held a meeting in April 2012 comprising of geothermal oppositions, one of them called the Pele Defense Fund who voiced their opinions on the current situation regarding the future of geothermal energy in the Hawaii island. Most of the groups who participated in the meeting opposed geothermal. The Pele Defense Fund believes that the geothermal plants are not only possessing power from the fractures, they are also tapping into Pele, the goddess of fire. Tapping into Pele will release harmful chemicals into the air that will be detrimental to the local residents in Pahoa. Other opposition groups felt that there are methods other than geothermal, such as solar power that the Big Island resident could use. The minority, on the other hand, is made of the groups that support geothermal believed that it is necessary for the local residents to be less dependent on fossil fuels and shift towards geothermal which is the only way to go. Also, by shifting to geothermal, the locals will not be burdened by energy rates. The manager of the geothermal plant attended the meeting and said that no of their employees ever got it sick, so the steam from the magma did not pose any threat to anyone.² The Pele Defense Fund presented a video showing a case that using the magma goes against the native Hawaiian beliefs and practices.

     Efforts have been made to propose new geothermal plants to be built on the Island some time in the 

2. Tom Callis, "Geothermal meeting gets heated | Hawaii Tribune Herald." Hawaii Tribune Herald. http://hawaiitribune-

herald.com/sections/news/local-news/geothermal-meeting-gets-heated.html (accessed October 7, 2013).

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future. Building more geothermal plants on the Big Island will provide more than enough energy for the local residents to use, considering the fact the whole island consumes one fifth the megawatts geothermal could potentially provide. The excess could be used on the other islands becoming less dependent on foreign oil, after all the state plans to become less dependent on foreign oil in the future and all electric companies have to follow suit. However, it is difficult to get everyone on the same page because there are many oppositions to geothermal on the Big Island. The local residents are obviously not ready for the change. The difference in perspectives play a huge role in this situation, where one side believes geothermal is the way to go to be oil free, and the other side believes that tapping into the magma go against the religious beliefs and practices of the native Hawaiians. Did the Pele Defense Fund strike a valid point about the consequences of utilizing the magma?  

     My lego figure is wearing a space suit that is holding up a sign that says, "The Wrath of Pele!!!".  The space suit symbolizes the future of Hawaii.  The future will hold up many possibilities on energy.  Geothermal utilizes the volcano, and what better way to use the ones on the Big Island?  Pele activists are against geothermal because they believe that Pele is part of the volcano and if you try to utilize it, you will suffer the consequences.

Bibliography

Callis, Tom. "Geothermal meeting gets heated | Hawaii Tribune Herald." Hawaii Tribune Herald.                        http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/local-news/geothermal-meeting-gets-heated.html (accessed      October 7, 2013)

"Puna Geothermal Venture: Clean Energy or Neighborhood Nuisance? | Hawaii Life." Hawaii Real Estate |   

     MLS Search | Homes for Sale | Hawaii Life. http://www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2013/07/puna-geother-
     mal-venture/ (accessed October 7,2013)