I lost a post-it note that I stuck on my desk where I wrote something
like “people won’t know what to ask for if they don’t know what is
possible.” I can’t remember what
context I heard it said but couple it with “where people lead politicians
follow” it sets up an unsettling situation with regard to Hawaii’s energy
transformation.
Hawaii’s energy transformation is a complex and uncertain
transition during a time of rapidly advancing technologies. For the average Hawaii resident, those who
will be most affected and holding the bag to pay for our electricity system,
there is hardly any information on what is real and what is practical. Sound bites appear to hurt rather than
help the enormity of this transformation.
Shouting “get off of fossil fuels” or “PV on every roof “ may be more
akin to “let them eat cake” as generous subsidies appear to target and benefit
just a small segment of electricity customers leaving most users behind paying
higher costs.
The smallness of our island grids further exacerbates the technical
challenges of integrating of large amounts of variable renewable resources. Methods used for mainland and large
system studies are not adequate or appropriate when trying to understand our
island electric systems. As we
navigate close to the edge of a precipice, Hawaii ventures where no other electrical
system has had any experience, and failure is not an option. We are all highly dependent on grid
furnished electricity. While it is
easy to “dis” the electric utility as the monopoly, we haven’t figured out a
cheaper way to provide electricity more efficiently that serves the public
good.
It is my hope that this blog can be used by a wide variety
of readers/followers, not just the typical energy wonks and stakeholders, to
help inform and discuss our clean energy future. I welcome suggestions for future articles or questions where
I can seek out experts to help inform.
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