Puna Geothermal Venture marked 15 years in business yesterday.

The company taps the might of Kilauea volcano to generate electricity, providing nearly one-fifth of the Big Island's power.

PGV is looking to increase production by eight megawatts, upping the company's total capacity to 41 megawatts.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona says geothermal production fits with Hawai'i's clean-energy initiative, which calls for the state to knock down its fossil fuel consumption to 30 percent.

PGV's plant sells 30 megawatts of renewable energy to Hawaii Electric Light Co. on a continuous basis. That covers nearly 20 percent of the Big Island's electricity needs.