As I continue to look at ways to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels for our electricity generation so we will be free from the volatility of oil prices – particularly in this time where we know most of the “cheap oil” has already been found and processed, and global demand for oil exceeds its supply – I keep bumping up against the idea of undersea cables.

People are always questioning whether undersea cables are technologically feasible, and I thought you’d be interested to know that there at least 14 such undersea cables in operation today, transmitting electricity.

Some were built as far back as 1965, such as the Cook Strait submarine cables in New Zealand, which transmit electricity between the North and South Islands.

There is a very interesting history of the debate that went on in New Zealand before the cables were installed. What struck me is that the debate was in the 1950s and 1960s.

Some very modern cables have just been commissioned, such as the BritNed cable that connects the United Kingdom to the Netherlands and can transmit up to 1000MW. A short video on the BritNed web site details the making and laying of this cable.

Cables are currently being manufactured to be laid at depths up to 2000 meters, which is deeper than our Alenuihaha Channel (1900 meters) between the Big Island and Maui.

People used to believe that undersea cables couldn’t work in Hawai‘i because our channels are too deep. Undersea cables are clearly not the whole answer to Hawai‘i getting off of fossil fuels, but perhaps they can be part of a broad solution.

I am glad to know that the technology exists today, should we, the people of Hawai‘i, decide we want to share the robust renewable resources we have on each of our islands to create a reliable, stable, statewide electric grid that is not dependent on fossil fuels for its electricity generation.