The City and County of Honolulu (City) has been operating a 2,100+ ton per day (TPD) waste-to-energy (WTE) Facility known locally as the H-POWER Facility (Facility) since May, 1990.  The Facility is a combination refuse derived fuel (RDF) and mass burn plant.  It is equipped with two RDF boilers and a newer expansion 900 TPD mass burn unit (Expansion).  Other than the use of both long-established waste combustion technologies at the same plant, pretty normal right?
Wrong! The two RDF processing lines continue to refine how to best prepare RDF for the facility’s two RDF boilers in the most efficient and safe manner.  The Expansion increases capacity and flexibility of the types and quantities materials to be processed and managed since this is an island and every waste stream on the Island of Oahu must go somewhere.  Who wants a landfill in paradise?  The City and County of Honolulu have a plan to shut down the only subtitle D municipal solid waste landfill on the island by 2028. The combination of the RDF plant and mass burn plant improves City management of additional types of waste and minimizes all landfill use except for inert materials or hazardous waste.  And we are working on a plan to maximize metals recovery – including precious metals.  
Did you know that much of the aggregate needed for construction in Hawaii must be imported?  We are working on a plan to generate aggregate from the ash and residue remaining after waste is combusted to generate electricity.  Speaking of imports, all the fossil fuels used on the island must be imported.  The only coal-fired power plant in the state has just been shut down, forcing increased reliance on imported fuel oil.  The island’s residents really appreciate the electricity produced from H-POWER which is up to seven percent of the island’s needs and a key component in the drive to get to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 or sooner.  Well, the island has lots of sun, right?  But who wants solar panels and wind turbines on Waikiki?  Why not use some of that sunlight hitting our rooftops and parking areas to generate energy?  Why not! We have one of the largest single rooftop solar arrays in the US generating about half the energy needs of the facility so we can generate even more renewable power.  We won’t forget to tell you about our innovative sludge management system – the only one in the US.  We will also look at white goods processing, excellent emissions performance, and maybe dream about the future with industrial battery systems, innovative glass aggregate production, enhanced recycling, citizen’s drop-off, and collection yard or who knows what else.  All this while generating revenue for the City and providing vital services.  Come and see what is being done in Honolulu, learn how to make your facility be more energy efficient, and innovative ways to maximize your resources.