Rob Report
Here comes the sun
Harnessing Hawaii's renewable energy resource
by Rob Parsons
http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2008-10-23-186546.112113_Here_comes_t...

"Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting..." so let's quit burning oil.
October 23, 2008
Millions of visitors have marveled at Maui’s dominant landscape feature, the Haleakala Crater, which stands 10,000 feet above sea level and is known as the House of the Sun. It is there, according to Hawaiian mythology, that the demigod Maui lassoed the sun to slow it down, to allow his mother’s tapa cloth to dry.

Though abundant sunshine continues to grace our islands, solar energy may be the most underutilized of an array of abundant local resources. Solar photovoltaic systems represent barely a blip on the screen of statewide electricity production, though nearly 10,000 solar hot water systems help offset energy consumption. The legislature recently passed the “Solar Rooftops” bill that will mandate such systems on all new homes constructed after 2009.

But, other than a recent proposal for a 1.5-megawatt (MW) project on the island of Lanai, there has been little effort to consider large installations of Solar Electrical Generating Systems (SEGS). In 1992, a detailed Hawaii study concluded, “The base case economic analysis finds that SEGS plants do not currently appear to be a [sic] cost-effective solar applications for the State of Hawaii.” Yet the analysis was made when a barrel of crude oil, Hawaii’s primary electrical generation source, cost around $22.

From Gary Hooser: http://garyhooser.livejournal.com/25661.html

Hawaii Energy Proposal - Transformational

The recent agreement reached between the State of Hawaii and HECO, the State’s primary energy provider has the potential to fundamentally transform the future of energy in our state.

Unfortunately the local newspapers chose to focus only on the sexy, expensive and potentially controversial proposal to lay an undersea cable between Maui County and the City and County of Honolulu.

The Honolulu Advertiser http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081021/NEWS01/810210358/1001

The Honolulu Star Bulletin http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20081021_Isles_power_up_clea...

Totally missing from the stories covered in local media were the provisions on decoupling and feed-in tariff. Also missing from the local news was the lifting of net metering caps, the raising of the Portfolio Standards, the removal of “efficiency savings” from the Portfolio Standard definitions, the restriction against the development of new fossil fuel generators, and numerous other innovative and forward thinking proposals.

This agreement represents the culmination of years of groundwork that has been set into place by the legislature and the recent efforts and very productive collaboration between the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the U.S. Department of Energy.

A summary of the agreement:
1) Agreement to an additional 1,000 MW of renewable energy resources on Oahu

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_on_re_us/hawaii_energy

Hawaii (HEC) Outlines Renewable Energy Goals
"Hawaii outlines renewable energy goals"

By MARK NIESSE Oct. 21, 2008

HONOLULU – "Hawaii's largest utility has signed on to a plan to move the state away from dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and ground transportation.

The goal is to create 70 percent of Hawaii's energy use from clean energy sources by 2030. Currently, the state gets about 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

Under the latest agreement, Hawaiian Electric Co. commits to not build any new coal plants, integrate up to 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy into the power grid and convert existing fossil fuel generators to biofuels using locally grown crops.

'We don't have years and years anymore to make these changes,' Gov. Linda Lingle said Monday. 'These are not hopes or dreams or wishes, these are our specific plans that we hope to achieve.'

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a major step for Hawaiian Electric, said Connie Lau, chairwoman of the board of directors for the utility, which powers Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.

'This is a historic moment for all of us, and it really does take us far beyond what our companies have done historically,' Lau said.

But some of the biggest ideas in the overall deal — including expensive undersea power cables to move wind-generated energy between the islands — lack funding or even cost estimates for how they'll become reality.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

"New Energy Economy Emerging in the United States"
by Lester R. Brown Earth Policy Institute October 15, 2008

"As fossil fuel prices rise, as oil insecurity deepens, and as concerns about climate change cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new energy economy is emerging in the United States. The old energy economy, fueled by oil, coal, and natural gas, is being replaced by one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The transition is moving at a pace and on a scale that we could not have imagined even a year ago.

Consider Texas. Long the leading oil-producing state, it is now also the leading generator of electricity from wind, having overtaken California two years ago. Texas now has nearly 6,000 megawatts of wind-generating capacity online and a staggering 39,000 megawatts in the construction and planning stages. When all this is completed, Texas will have 45,000 megawatts of wind-generating capacity (think 45 coal-fired power plants). This will more than satisfy the residential needs of the state's 24 million people, enabling Texas to feed electricity to nearby states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.

http://www.kedb.com/energyconference.asp

Presented by Kaua`i Economic Development Board in Partnership with the United States Department of Energy, County of Kaua`i Office of Economic Development, and Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative

Friday, October 17, 2008

A little more than a month ago by chance I met Gary Bulson, Senior Engineer for the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, mentioned in the article below. Have also been impressed with the leadership that the Hyatt Regency Kauai has been taking on related matters, particularly with solar and guest available recycling.

I compare this to another hotel here on Kauai that regularly left almost all of it's glass doors open on almost all floors, losing an untold amount of air-conditioning to the open environment. One, it was an incredible expense for the hotel not allocated to individual guests, and two, it was a huge waste of energy. All it would have taken to address is a quality control standard that all employees close any glass doors they saw left open by guests. But that was not done. Maybe it will be done in the future. Anyway, the Hyatt is providing great leadership on these matters throughout the state as with the following example:

"Hawaiian resort installs Inncom's ecoMODE system"
Oct 16, 2008 H&MM Week In Review

Niantic, Conn.--September 17, 2008--"The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa has become the first Hyatt property to upgrade its energy-management system with the environmentally-friendly ecoMODE option from Inncom..."
[Rest of article here: http://www.hotelmotel.com/hotelmotel/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/5592... ]

Aloha, Brad

Sunday, October 12, 2008

As events unfold from afar, first with energy prices and more recently with financial markets, I cannot help but wonder if Kauai is prepared for what lies ahead.

These economic events began in earnest in August 2007, and since then I have been watching closely what the community of Kauai is doing.

What I have seen is the people of a beautiful place mostly continuing about their daily lives and not expecting nor demanding significant changes from public nor private sector leaders. The people of Kauai appear to have been comfortable and happy with things the way they have been.

That comfort level may change from here on out.

For the community, a good place to start is with the upcoming election. Both of the Mayoral candidates seem to be good, kind people, but Kauai will need more than that, and soon.

As the election approaches, I hope all of the voters will truly consider which one of these two imperfect Mayoral candidates has the experience and intellectual interest to help solve the complex problems set to rain down upon the island.

Crisises are never easy to deal with, but JoAnn Yukimura is the only one of these two who has shown the experience and knowledge on the issues to help solve the complex problems up ahead and bring the community together.

No matter what, Kauai will get through this hurricane, again. We are living in some of the most interesting of times. Let's make it a better place and community on the other side.

Aloha, Brad

Published on Thursday, July 3, 2008 by The Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont)
Senator Backs New Solar Power Initiative
by Bob Audette

BRATTLEBORO — An idea to put 10 million solar panels on 10 million buildings in the United States is a good start, said an advocate for the replacement of fossil fuels and nuclear power with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.0703 09

“It’s a brilliant and visionary idea to put solar energy into the middle of the discussion on energy,” said Arjun Makhijani, the president of the Institute of Energy and Environmental Research. “A goal like that is very important because it will mean the solar manufacturing industry will have certainty that there will be a demand at the other end.

Makhijani was responding to a proposal put forth by Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-VT, that would encourage the installation of 10 million rooftop solar units on homes and businesses over the course of 10 years.

At one kilowatt-hour a unit, that could supply up to 10,000 megawatts of energy, or approximately 13 nuclear reactors the size of the one at Vermont Yankee.

But that would be only a small step, because the 104 nuclear reactors in the United States provide the country with about 20 percent of its electricity. Most of the rest of the nation’s power comes from sources such as coal and natural gas power plants and hydropower.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2006-08-01/Build-a-Solar-F...

More and more people are recognizing the importance of food quality in their daily lives. The freshest, ripest, tastiest and most nutritious food comes from our own gardens or local farmers. But because these high quality fruits and vegetables are seasonal, you have access to them for only a few weeks or months each year...

The screen is green
With a nod to being environmentally friendly, Maui Film Festival adds solar to its star power

By RICK CHATENEVER, Entertainment Editor
POSTED: June 12, 2008

The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

WAILEA — Noting that all of the outdoor screening venues are solar powered this year, Maui Film Festival Director Barry Rivers injected his own jolt of energy as he kicked off the ninth annual Maui Film Festival at Wailea on Wednesday night at a gala twilight reception at the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui.

“It’s time for all of us to stop thinking like dead dinosaurs, whose energy we’re riding around on,” he said in opening remarks accompanied by his wife, festival co-director Stella Rivers.

“We needed them then, but not now.”

There’s growing green consciousness running through this year’s festival, which continues today through Sunday with almost 100 film screenings in outdoor Wailea venues and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater and McCoy Studio Theater.

Filmmaker Daniel Opitz was premiering his documentary, “The Humpback Code,” in a new Wailea venue right on the beach Wednesday evening. The filmmaker, who divides his time between Paia and his native Germany, said the film explores the complexity and the function of the humpbacks’ distinctive songs.

Noting that the movie had been three years in the making, much of it filmed off Maui beaches, he observed that the screen was 299 yards up from the breaking surf.

“The whales could come by and see it, if they were still here,” he said.