Aloha,
SB 367 would have enabled building an inter-island transmission line to connect Big Wind on Lana`i and Moloka`i to O`ahu. The bill is dead for this year but is alive for next year (the second year of the 2-year Legislative session).
Regulatory Action
HECO’s published an RFP for 100MW on renewables on O`ahu. Castle & Cooke (Lana`i) & First Wind (Moloka`i) each responded with a proposed a 400MW wind farm. To avoid a long competitive shoot out they both agreed to build a 200MW windfarm.
The Public Utilities Commission asked that the wind companies to submit terms and conditions of their proposals to the PUC by a specific date. First Wind failed to do so. They asked for an extension of time which the PUC rejected.
First Wind then proposed building a wind farm on Maui instead of Moloka`i. First Wind is threatening a lawsuit. Castle & Cooke proposed building their wind farm on Lana`i. They asked Pattern Energy to take the place of First Wind on Moloka`i.
Castle & Cooke’s submitted to the PUC a proposed new time line for Pattern and Moloka`i to meet the PUC deadline. The PUC has yet to rule on whether Castle & Cooke can extend the PUC deadline.
Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative
The Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) Steering Committee met today. Those present included the Consumer Advocate, HECO, the PUC, DBEDT, the US Dept of Energy and various energy companies and industry stakeholders.
At one point someone asked how they could get greater community outreach. I suggested public notice of this meeting (I checked with the Lt Gov’s office – there was no public notification) The Steering Committee membership is 29 people representing industry, business, utilities and government. The Steering Committee
could have 30 members. There is one slot available. With no environmental, cultural or community groups on the Steering Committee, the US Dept of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggested the 30th slot should go to the transportation industry.
The US Dept of Energy stated that there are 20 solutions to getting the transportation sector off petroleum. They can’t do all of them and have settled on 4 solutions. I asked why they didn’t approach electricity in the same way. The US Dept of Energy stated that there is only one solution (big Wind), and if that fails there will be only one solution (geothermal)
—
Mahalo,
Henry
http://www.lifeofthelandhawaii.org/Henry_Curtis_Videos.html
Henry Curtis
Executive Director
Life of the Land
76 N. King Street, Suite 203
Honolulu, HI 96817
Web Site: http://www.lifeofthelandhawaii.org/ email:henry.lifeoftheland@gmail.com
Hawai`i is blessed with every form of renewable energy: wind, solar water heaters, photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, wave, sea water air conditioning, ocean thermal energy conversion, hydro, biomass, waste oil biodiesel.