Small Biofuel Farm Bears Fruit

by Craig Gima (Star Bulletin) If the vision of father and son farmers Christian and James Twigg-Smith becomes reality, acres of now-fallow sugar cane land will be growing crops again. But rather than producing food, the land would be used to grow fuel oil.

About two years ago they planted jatropha, an oil-rich nut native to South America, on 250 acres in Keaau on Hawaii island. They have leased another 750 acres that could be put into production if the crop is successful.

The plants take two to four years to mature, but last summer they were able to harvest their first, small crop -- enough to make a few gallons of biodiesel and run some tests on the oil they produced.

...Their venture, called HIPPO for Hawaii Pure Plant Oil, is the first commercial biofuel plantation in the state.

"We have to go into agriculture if we want to displace the amount of petroleum that we need to meet the goals of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative," said Kelly King, vice president at Pacific Biodiesel, which will refine the jatropha oil HIPPO produces into biodiesel fuel. "The only other option is to ship in oil from somewhere else and that doesn't add to our energy security. It doesn't add to our sustainability." READ MORE