Web Sites
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) State Energy Office
Hawaii Natural Energy Institute is an organized research unit of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM).
Trade Groups: Hawaii Solar Energy Association, Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance,
Regional Groups: Puna Pono Alliance, I Aloha Molokai, Friends of Lanai, Lanaians for Sensible Growth, Maui Tomorrow Foundation
Statewide Groups: Hawaii Sierra Club, Conservation Council for Hawai'i, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Life of the Land.
People
Mark Glick
is the public face promoting the energy policies of Hawai`i Governor Neil
Abercrombie.
Jacqueline Kozak Thiel has been appointed as Hawai`i’s new State Sustainability
Coordinator.
Hawaii Public Utilities (PUC) Commissioner Commissioner Lorraine Akiba
Micro-Grids
In 2001
Parker Ranch installed a solar/wind hybrid system; at the time perhaps the
largest hybrid wind/solar system in the world. Today Parker Ranch is embarking
on another cutting edge idea: building a green micro-grid for the Ranch and Waimea.
Military Micro-Grids (SPIDERS) Pose a Disruptive Technology Threat to traditional utilities. Hawaiian Electric
Company (HECO) blackouts in 2006 and 2008 knocked out power to key military
installations. The military is the largest energy user in the country,
global oil price spikes since 2008 and costly and risky fuel convoys are forcing
the military to re-think generation and transmission options.
Geothermal
Some
geothermal proponents claim that King Kalakaua came up with the idea for
powering Hawai`i with geothermal and undersea electric transmission lines. The
statement is often quoted but the original citation is rarely cited. Is the
statement valid?
Smart Grids
Some energy
advocates want to merge electricity delivery, telecommunications, weather
stations and computers into one large costly complex Smart Grid. How vulnerable are Smart Grids to hackers? Could the entire grid crash due to one hacker sitting at a computer somewhere in the world?
Climate
Change
University of Hawaii researchers have crunched the numbers and
determined when world cities will have their average temperature will match the current hottest temperature of
the year.
Uncomfortable Ideas
Energy Efficiency is the low hanging fruit that may increase energy demand and thus could make us more reliant on fossil fuel.
Hawai`i state law allows largely fossil fuel powered islands to claim renewable energy penetration levels exceeding 100 percent. It is all in how definitions are manipulated. The renewable energy penetration level can be manipulated in other ways. Adding a 10 kW solar unit to the grid or to a customers house creates the same amount of renewable energy but different solar penetration levels.
HECO's Future
Is HECO too big to fail? What
will the utility model of the future look like? Will customers abandon the grid in favor of stand-alone systems? The views of Henry Curtis have expanded, evolved, transformed, and changed on this issue.
By Henry Curtis
Alternative Energy
Sea Water Air Conditioning can power Waikiki with cold ocean water.
The Holistic Big Picture
