The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (''NELHA'') administers the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST Park). ''NELHA'' was founded in 1974. At , HOST Park is a state-subsidized industrial park for incubator and marginal commercial ventures. Part of the subsidy is provided by writing off tenant debt.''NELHA'' also administers a small site, , in Puna on the eastern side of the Island of Hawaii for geothermal research. The original mission was for research into the uses of

deep ocean water Deep ocean water (DOW) is the name for cold, salty water found deep below the surface of Earth's oceans. Ocean water differs in temperature and salinity. Warm surface water is generally saltier than the cooler deep or polar waters; in polar regio ...

ocean thermal energy conversion Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the ocean thermal gradient between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters to run a heat engine and produce useful work, usually in the form of electricity. OTEC can operate with a very hi ...

(OTEC) renewable energy production and in aquaculture. It later added research into sustainable uses of natural energy sources such as solar energy. Its administration offices are located in the HOST Park Keahole Point in the North Kona District. The entrance is on the

Hawaii Belt Road The Hawaii Belt Road is a modern name for the Māmalahoa Highway and consists of Hawaii state Routes 11, 19, and 190 that encircle the Island of Hawaii. The southern section, between Hilo and Kailua-Kona is numbered as Route 11. The section betw ...

at coordinates , just south of the Kona International Airport. The main administration office is in the 4 acre research campus at the end of the road along the coastline on Keahole Point. NELHA 1

The laboratory was founded in 1974 with , associated with the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. Large pipelines pump cold sea water from a depth of . For three months in 1979, a small amount of electricity was generated. Almost $250M was spent on Ocean thermal energy conversion, but by 1991, the research shifted to other areas. The adjacent Science and Technology Park was merged into the facility, expanding it to . A

neutrino A neutrino ( ; denoted by the Greek letter ) is a fermion (an elementary particle with spin of ) that interacts only via the weak interaction and gravity. The neutrino is so named because it is electrically neutral and because its rest mass ...

detector was partially constructed in the 1990s called Project DUMAND. After four decades, NELHA is well on track to fulfilling its mission as an engine for economic development in Hawaii and the economic impact generated by HOST Park is approaching $150M annually with the creation of over 600 jobs statewide. In 2002, were leased to a commercial company which filters and bottles the water for sale in Japan.Natural Energy Lab ready for fresh start with DAGS
in

Honolulu Advertiser ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and In ...

, May 31, 2009 Makai Ocean Engineering, working with Lockheed Martin, restarted OTEC research."Deep Pipelines for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion"
on Makai Ocean Engineering web site Aquaculture, algae biofuel,

solar thermal energy Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy and a technology for harnessing solar energy to generate thermal energy for use in industry, and in the residential and commercial sectors. Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United St ...

, solar concentrating, and

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

are some of the 40 tenants.Revisiting NELHA
in

West Hawaii Today ''West Hawaii Today'' is a Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i based daily newspaper. It is owned and published by Oahu Publications Inc, a subsidiary of Black Press Black Press Group Ltd. is a Canadian publisher of prominent daily newspapers in Hawaii and ...

, April 26, 2009

References

External links

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii
Official web site
Friends of NELHA
Web site describing the Hawaii Gateway Energy Center which is NELHA's visitor center {{DEFAULTSORT:Natural Energy Laboratory Of Hawaii Authority Energy research institutes Buildings and structures in Hawaii County, Hawaii Research institutes in Hawaii Research institutes established in 1974 1974 establishments in Hawaii

See also

References

External links