Geothermal Energy on the Big Island
Geothermal Energy
Being open with the public will move the county and state of Hawaii forward towards the conversion to geothermal energy without repurcutions
HILO,HI-The topic of geothermal energy here on the Big Island has been an on ongoing debate for almost the past two decades. Without personal insight, geothermal energy seems to have no negative side to it. “Who wouldn’t want to go green? Isn’t having renewable energy a good thing?” are the type of questions that come to mind when asked to form an argument for it. Alas, residents of Leilani estates, a neighborhood in the district of Puna, have been pestering the Big Island’s county council with their arguments about the geothermal power plant, Puna Geothermal Venture, and how it’s been negatively affecting their lives. After conducting some research, my eyes were opened to their 19-year old plea. The residents of Puna have very good reason to oppose the operation of PGV (Puna Geothermal Venture). Back in April of this year, Robert Petricci along with other Puna residents, lead an argument in a conference with Hawaii county, that opposed the operation of PGV. Petricci was very specific in pointing out exactly what was wrong with the production of geothermal energy-the state did not ask the public, especially those most negatively affected by it, the residents of Leilani Estates, for their input on the start-up and continuation of a geothermal powerplant almost 20 years ago. Being so, the conversion to geothermal energy in Hawaii county has observantly become one of the most heated ongoing debates here on the Big Island.
Being that the debate is so intense, and has so many viewpoints to it, I am in agreement with those who oppose the production of geothermal energy at PGV and those who are for geothermal energy. While converting to geothermal energy is a step forward for the Big Island and the state of Hawaii, the way Hawaii county is going about obtaining that energy is a step backwards,
Being open with the public will move the county and state of Hawaii forward towards the conversion to geothermal energy without repurcutions
HILO,HI-The topic of geothermal energy here on the Big Island has been an on ongoing debate for almost the past two decades. Without personal insight, geothermal energy seems to have no negative side to it. “Who wouldn’t want to go green? Isn’t having renewable energy a good thing?” are the type of questions that come to mind when asked to form an argument for it. Alas, residents of Leilani estates, a neighborhood in the district of Puna, have been pestering the Big Island’s county council with their arguments about the geothermal power plant, Puna Geothermal Venture, and how it’s been negatively affecting their lives. After conducting some research, my eyes were opened to their 19-year old plea. The residents of Puna have very good reason to oppose the operation of PGV (Puna Geothermal Venture). Back in April of this year, Robert Petricci along with other Puna residents, lead an argument in a conference with Hawaii county, that opposed the operation of PGV. Petricci was very specific in pointing out exactly what was wrong with the production of geothermal energy-the state did not ask the public, especially those most negatively affected by it, the residents of Leilani Estates, for their input on the start-up and continuation of a geothermal powerplant almost 20 years ago. Being so, the conversion to geothermal energy in Hawaii county has observantly become one of the most heated ongoing debates here on the Big Island.
Being that the debate is so intense, and has so many viewpoints to it, I am in agreement with those who oppose the production of geothermal energy at PGV and those who are for geothermal energy. While converting to geothermal energy is a step forward for the Big Island and the state of Hawaii, the way Hawaii county is going about obtaining that energy is a step backwards,