Energy
Liquefied Natural Gas: A cleaner fossil fuel that’s cheaper than oil and pairs well with renewable energy
By Sherilyn Wee and Michael Roberts Spurred by low natural gas prices and a maturing market for liquefied natural gas (LNG), Hawai‘i Gas received their first shipment of LNG in containers in early April. In phase one of the gas utility’s plan, LNG serves as a backup fuel for locally produced synthetic natural gas (SNG). […]
Read MoreManaging a Grid with Green Energy
By Michael Roberts The calculator in the last post shows that installing solar is an incredibly valuable investment for households and businesses with the physical and financial ability to do it. The gains are so large that some wonder why the state is nearly breaking its budget to subsidize what would still, even without the […]
Read MoreThe Costs and Benefits of Installing Solar PV
By Michael Roberts Renewable energy presents many new challenges at the system level. Before we get to that, it helps to first look at things from a homeowner’s perspective. The Homeowner’s Solar PV Decision If you’re a homeowner, and you haven’t already installed PV solar, you may want to look into doing it very soon. […]
Read MoreWhy are Hawai’i’s Electricity Prices So High?
By Michael Roberts Excluding rooftop solar, Hawai’i residential consumers pay an average of about 37 cents for a kilowatt-hour of electricity. Taking refrigerators, water heaters, stoves, air conditioning and other uses into account, the average Hawai’i household uses about 18.5 kWh each day, for a monthly bill of about $205. That’s a lot, between three […]
Read MoreHawai‘i’s Environmental Response, Energy, and Food Security Tax (aka Barrel Tax)
By Sherilyn Wee and Makena Coffman The one-dollar increase in Hawai‘i’s environmental tax from five-cents since its inception in 1993 to $1.05 effective July 1, 2010 was a stepping stone in Hawai‘i’s clean energy progress. While in theory it serves to discourage fossil fuels (internalizing the negative externality), its major impact has been as a […]
Read MoreLignocellulosic Ethanol – Are We There Yet?
By Junko Mochizuki and Makena Coffman Lignocellulosic ethanol has been touted as a cleaner, next generation alternative fuel. Turning abundant resources like grasses into a transportation fuel sounds like a good idea. But, is this a viable option in Hawaii? What’s the state of technology now? What would it cost to produce it locally? Will […]
Read MoreUHERO 101.10: The Confusing World of PV
By Sherilyn Wee and Makena Coffman This UHERO 101 intends to clarify some of the rate and policy aspects of PV in Hawai‘i, and explores the two opposite driving forces of PV adoption. PV is an attractive investment in Hawai‘i where electricity rates are almost four times the national average. Rising electricity prices and falling system costs […]
Read MoreA Policy Analysis of Hawaii’s Solar Tax Credit Incentive
This study uses Hawaii as an illustrative case study in state level tax credits for PV. We examine the role of Hawaii’s tax credit policy in PV deployment, including distributional and tax payer impacts. Hawaii is interesting because its electricity rates are nearly four times the national average as well as has a 35% tax […]
Read MoreHawaii’s Energy Future
By Makena Coffman Last week’s Asia Pacific Clean Energy Conference has focused the spotlight on Hawaii’s energy future. Governor Abercrombie opened the conference with a strong commitment to installing an undersea cable between Oahu and Maui. The Blue Planet foundation unveiled their “Energy Report Card” during a keynote address by Henk Rogers. Meanwhile, recent coverage […]
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