tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.comments2024-03-28T13:49:15.289-10:00Ililani MediaIlilani Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958886234963893640noreply@blogger.comBlogger2386125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-36294455247455883382024-03-15T07:53:40.319-10:002024-03-15T07:53:40.319-10:00nuclear fusion is right round the corner with new ...nuclear fusion is right round the corner with new developments that produce more energy than is being used to provide the energy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-36420461874690734912024-03-02T17:35:00.789-10:002024-03-02T17:35:00.789-10:00Henry Curtis
Does the public at least get to see ...Henry Curtis <br />Does the public at least get to see a transcript? Is there a PUC docket we can access?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-19073969670356146422024-03-01T10:57:15.429-10:002024-03-01T10:57:15.429-10:00Do open meeting laws not apply? Do open meeting laws not apply? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-4375485180904727782024-03-01T06:29:05.050-10:002024-03-01T06:29:05.050-10:00The air is still at night. Where would power come ...The air is still at night. Where would power come from to pump to Lake Wilson at night hours? HeCO? Does not sound sensible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-23847909138106279502024-02-14T08:20:39.003-10:002024-02-14T08:20:39.003-10:00Sounds like the triumvirate left out the community...Sounds like the triumvirate left out the community. 'Community groups' are mentioned in passing, later, but which ones get into the deliberations? Is this like what they call destroying democracy? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-78080814394098862642024-02-03T04:36:47.007-10:002024-02-03T04:36:47.007-10:00Perhaps ask Chattypants what the safest and most j...Perhaps ask Chattypants what the safest and most just way IT recommends Hawaii regulate IT?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-23741393532580269842024-01-25T05:14:38.398-10:002024-01-25T05:14:38.398-10:00I repeat: How can most community members afford ...I repeat: How can most community members afford the price of admission to these Blah Blah Blah events?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-74326420486047071662024-01-23T07:00:02.988-10:002024-01-23T07:00:02.988-10:00Thanks for pointing out how ratepayers are coverin...Thanks for pointing out how ratepayers are covering the cost of<br />advocacy for private corporate interests of IOUs. Meanwhile public interests are unfunded, or rely on conflicted “consumer” advocates. A thoughtful intervenor fund could rebalance public policy by ensuring that public interests are better represented.Sean Taketa McLaughlinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-86748070414456097992024-01-23T06:02:20.967-10:002024-01-23T06:02:20.967-10:00The Hawaiʻi Climate and Environment Coalition rece...The Hawaiʻi Climate and Environment Coalition recently hosted presentations and a discussion on a carbon tax with arguments for and against. Both sides are likely right. This post presents various options, all of which have pros and cons. What I take away is that we need an all-of-the-above approach. We should be paying for the full cost of burning fossil fuels. But we also need to build a new society and economy around a different way of living. These transformational changes require much deeper thinking than how do we reduce our carbon emissions, but that has to be part of this discussion. A carbon cash-back tax can be part of that discussion, but it not be seen as a silver bullet or preferred over other approaches.Travis Idol, President, Hawaii Interfaith Power and Lighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03908990730985531371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-11198337546968191372024-01-22T10:48:50.211-10:002024-01-22T10:48:50.211-10:00Everyone is good at some things and not so good at...Everyone is good at some things and not so good at others. Henry is good at policy implementation, particularly the implementation of the policy of transitioning electric utilities to green energy (PUC matters). However, policy formulation is not his strong suit, especially policy that has a chance of being adopted (such as bills being passed). For example, he says that one way to reduce greenhouse emissions "is by banning fossil fuel use. All new vehicles sold in the state must have zero emissions beginning in 2035." Those ideas may be interesting ideas to talk about, but they are politically not viable in the current political climate. In particular, federal law prohibits Hawaii from requiring vehicles sold in the state to have zero emissions. He opposes taxing upstream emissions, even though tax rates that are sufficiently high have been shown to reduce emissions, both in the US and in other countries. He claims that oil companies endorse carbon pricing. They might have said so for public relations purposes because they have not taken action. Various carbon pricing bills have been introduced at the State Legislature for several years, but no oil company has testified in support of any of them.John Kawamotonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-50582845740874345202024-01-22T09:13:18.746-10:002024-01-22T09:13:18.746-10:00Completely agree that we need to address climate c...Completely agree that we need to address climate change by reducing our consumption of fossil fuels quickly. <br /><br />But the claim that fossil fuel companies support carbon pricing simply is untrue. The “huge red flag” was when the fossil fuel companies, whose own research demonstrated that climate change was coming, spent decades consistently lying and sowing doubt. Pretending to support carbon taxes while working hard behind the scenes to torpedo them is no different. Oil companies do not “enthusiastically” support carbon taxes. Oil companies made the decision to say they support carbon taxes not due to genuine policy support, but rather as a way to push back against more stringent national regulations (please see link to Greenpeace’s exposing of an Exxon lobbyist). Oil companies view a public support position for carbon taxes as a low-risk way to appear reasonable, given their belief that carbon taxes could never be adopted nationally in the current political climate, and/or that they can successfully lobby for a low, ineffective tax level. <br /><br />Oil companies have engaged in misdirection and misinformation around climate change for decades. This is no different. We encourage interested parties to research the context and reason for their declared support for carbon pricing. (For example, information about Exxon’s funding for, and subsequent expulsion from, Americans for Carbon Dividends, can be found here. <br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-23293573337226975682024-01-18T20:50:35.308-10:002024-01-18T20:50:35.308-10:00"It was only a matter of time for these rural..."It was only a matter of time for these rural communities resented the idea that they are not allowed to increase rooftop solar due to distribution constraints while they can see their open areas become covered with transmission-level infrastructure."<br /><br />This. The more that PUCs decided to de-incentivize citizens from making massive investments in solar, the more people are going to forgo solar or add batteries and go off-grid. That will only further exacerbate these issues of inequality. IMO California and Hawaii are making a big mistake diminishing on grid-sharing benefits and caving to the utilities. PG&E got a hand out from the Cali PUC this last round. Probably because they felt the company needed to make money to pay for all those lawsuits. Not great for the ratepayer. Seem the Hawaii PUC and it's newer members followed course. In lieu of Co-ops we need strong PUC leadership to find alternative ways forward that benefit ratepayers and the environment. HECO, MECO, and HELCO are concerned about shareholder profits. Anything beyond that they do because they don't have a choice. They got all our residential solar for free. They want commercial power development because it involves less build out of infrastructure and upgrading the grid. It's cheaper and easier. They'd rather put that money to shareholders than improving rates or the grid. Decoupling utility profits from usage was a brilliant step. We need to do something new like that. If we can't get a co-op that works for ratepayers then we need to constrain the HECO family to being a service provider with a profit scheme and service plan that incentivizes them to maintain firm power and lower rates. There is lots of room in contracts for private power plants, solar and wind farms, and energy storage companies to play a part. There is lots of room for private citizens who make a large investment in solar/batteries to also play a part adding diversity, stability, and a faster decarbonization to our power future. There are schemes for apartment and condo owners and renters to get in on renewables. <br /><br />I think we need the PUC to put the screws to everyone and start pushing again. If Molokai and Kauai can do it so can the rest of us. If people want the "private sector" to play a part then they need to show up or shut up. The HECO family has a de facto monopoly, it's a utility, that's why it's governed by the PUC. Rich people will keep opting out and going off-grid and poor people will reach a crisis point with the way we are going.<br /><br />Hazen Komraushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06757949679721505180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-53200080306065876152024-01-11T11:13:06.274-10:002024-01-11T11:13:06.274-10:00While HSEO is on a 100% telework policy, the telew...While HSEO is on a 100% telework policy, the telework policy itself requires employees to come in twice per week minimum (all employees are in the office Tuesday and Thursdays) - this is more than the PUC is required to do. Please fact check.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-9924192916452295212024-01-03T09:57:40.808-10:002024-01-03T09:57:40.808-10:00Why does it cost so much to attend? Where does th...Why does it cost so much to attend? Where does the money go? One would think that as many people as possible should be encouraged to learn about and contribute to and learn from this gathering. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-49305168458800213942023-12-23T04:04:15.224-10:002023-12-23T04:04:15.224-10:00The quest for running Hawaii on renewables is alwa...The quest for running Hawaii on renewables is always set back by the fact that there is a legal monopoly running the show. I repeat: let's challenge all those billionaires who are residing and recreating in our state to Hui-up, buy the company, run it as a non-profit and encourage everyone to produce and store power asap. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-78198513550379008922023-12-19T06:51:59.801-10:002023-12-19T06:51:59.801-10:00Henry: I believe Hawaii Gas' charter allows fo...Henry: I believe Hawaii Gas' charter allows for electricity production as well as distribution. Just a provocative thought to get your brainstorming going! Haha! Thanks for your great editorials!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-85454193222988146052023-12-16T06:47:19.577-10:002023-12-16T06:47:19.577-10:00Good luck with your challenge but I would not coun...Good luck with your challenge but I would not count on it going anywhere. How long has HECO been making and transmitting electricity in Hawaii--over a century? If they are as slipshod and as negligent as all the lawyers and overnite experts allege, we should have been seeing these utility-caused disasters here over and over, since the time Iolani Palace was first electrified.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-70664054836172269832023-12-04T09:09:05.665-10:002023-12-04T09:09:05.665-10:00Scott Goold -- All of these recommendations SHOULD...Scott Goold -- All of these recommendations SHOULD HAVE been implemented after the 2018 fires here and in California. HECO executives, Connie Lau, Alan Oshima, Scott Seu and Shelee Kimura, failed the people of Lahaina and throughout the islands. They paid themselves millions of dollars in compensation, accepted fat bonuses and awards, but failed their #1 task: Keep the people they serve safe! I have been warning about HECO management incompetence for some five years. Rather than listen, they have threatened, intimidated and bullied.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-15110969679749668782023-12-01T05:29:42.896-10:002023-12-01T05:29:42.896-10:00Forgot to mention, this subject is the primary fue...Forgot to mention, this subject is the primary fuel source for attorney income and wealth generation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-29624376745104690282023-11-17T04:28:49.990-10:002023-11-17T04:28:49.990-10:00Thoroughly enjoyed your post! Your perspective is ...Thoroughly enjoyed your post! Your perspective is refreshing. Keep up the great work and write more!MGMhttps://stargambling.net/casinos/review/betmgm.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-11719648435191446082023-11-09T10:16:37.870-10:002023-11-09T10:16:37.870-10:00Nice analogy. Keep in mind who provides direction...Nice analogy. Keep in mind who provides directions to the driver (hint: appointed by the governor).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-5818410488973718542023-11-02T05:29:33.073-10:002023-11-02T05:29:33.073-10:00Give me a one handed economist - in this case one ...Give me a one handed economist - in this case one who is committed to getting Hawaii running on 100% renewables and cannot say "on the other hand".. (U.Hawaii, Econ department may have someone?). Darnitall, there must be a way to incentivize this option for apartment and hotel owners and shop keepers....in a way that would not cut too deeply into HECO's profits. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-60115919028748136732023-10-31T07:36:19.050-10:002023-10-31T07:36:19.050-10:00Rogers would likely support HH plans if they inclu...Rogers would likely support HH plans if they included the plant's thermal energy conversion towards producing hydrogen as a fuel and not as an inefficient means of storing energy - this is the same Kool-aid Mayor Roth and his team have been drinking for some time now. More expensive and polluting unicorns in the loosely defined name of renewable energy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-64331851386120568062023-10-31T06:17:22.959-10:002023-10-31T06:17:22.959-10:00Molokai formerly had such a thing, sited in the lo...Molokai formerly had such a thing, sited in the lot right next to the current MECO Palaau Power Station.<br />It flopped and was sold and demolished down to the ground.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458714924543001380.post-23196436325699989902023-10-28T16:05:38.402-10:002023-10-28T16:05:38.402-10:00Forget the analyses - find the money and begin imm...Forget the analyses - find the money and begin immediately gathering the sun and storing the power in in all possible ways. Do it now. Molokai can run on very near if not totally on 100% renewables. Show the world. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com