Solar hot water: An old idea that's still current.

Building a solar water heater to explore conversions of the sun's radiant energy.

Renewable energy for Maui

Mayor Arakawa joins our teachers to plan Maui's energy future, and the future of our science students.

Inquiry science for the classroom

This teaching team uses their turbine to explore renewable energies.

Maui IEI Workshop for Teachers

Maui and Lanai teachers team up to develop a wind turbine with expanded polystyrene blades.

IEI Workshop on Maui

Teams of teachers modified blade design as a variable to maximize voltage output from their wind-turbine generators.

Energy from the ocean

Here's the pilot plant for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion being developed by Makai Ocean Engineering.  We toured the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority right near Kona airport on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Amazing technologies to take advantage of Kona's deep, cold, clean water. 

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

This poster was sent to us by Makai Ocean Engineering, a Hawaii-based firm that is developing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion for our state.  The company is located on Oahu, but this pilot plant is on the Big Island, at NELHA (Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority). 

OTEC uses the energy difference of cold, deep ocean water and warmer surface water to drive an ammonia cycle, spinning a turbine to produce electricity.  The ammonia is in a closed-loop system, so OTEC is extremely clean, with no need for fresh water and no competition for space or resources.

You can learn more about OTEC at Makai's website, www.makai.com.