Green power to the people - Hawaii Editorials

Hawaii is preparing to connect into a two-way electrical grid that should usher in the future of "green" energy.

[Flexo]

I doubt that we will see our electricity rates drop as a result of this ruling. It would be an accounting nightmare for HECO. And with the PUC involved in the setting of the rates, then we could very easily see our costs go up since they seldom reduce or reject increases.

[Scammers]

Feed in Tariffs (FiT) by their very nature are designed to encourage self production of electricity by paying HIGHER, albeit fixed, prices for that juice. What happens is that the people who can afford to install such systems are subsidized by those that can't and can least afford to install their own systems. FiT is an overall plan through which paying higher prices promotes more individuals to jump on the bandwagon and create more "green energy" such as PV or personal wind generators (not those huge monters on Maui and Big Island). However, there is also a limit to the amount of such energy that can be incorporated into a grid and still allow the grid to be controlled and operated in a manner by which the lights will stay on. The promoters of green technology are generally clueless to what is really required for electric system operation, only interested in their own business interests and pushing these PV systems on an equally clueless populace. While this can help the utility and state increase the percentage of renewable energy generated, increasing the so called renewable portfolio to meet state mandates easier. With the Clean Energy initiative, with 40% or electricty and 30% of transportation energy to come from renewable resources by 2030 is a high standard. However, the Big Island and Maui are already at 30% renewable energy. It is Oahu, with it's dense population and limited lands looking to the outer islands for help out of this quandry. The result has been very high electric rates on the neighbor islands since the renewable resources are tied to an old law, PURPA, that was designed to encourage renewable energy production back in the 1970's. FiT is for those areas that do NOT have a large percentage of renewable resources. The outer islands are already there, needing no encouragement from FiT to promote increased levels of renwable penetration. The price already encourages this development. It also pushes the cost of utility electricty higher since less are using it, for the same fixed costs. Remember that the PUC did not approve this docket unanimously. There as dissent as Commissioner Kondo did not believe that the comsumer would realize savings. We will all pay more, that is for sure. Read the D&O here, start at page 105: http://hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/dca/dno/dca/dno/...

If you think electricty is expensive now, just wait until this gets into full force. You ain't seen nothing yet!

[OnlyParadise]

what does 3500 watts mean?

3500 watts generated in a day or in a month?

this is all a pipe's dream

there is no way with the current cost and technology you can generate 40 percent of our energy needs in 20 years

be a sheep
vote democrap

[realist]

Oh yea, spend less money on electricity; give me a break. Why don't you publish the "buy back" rate and then see how the $35,000 less $5,000 investment gets paid back. Come on SB; do a little analysis before coming to your editorial opinion.

[BozoNemesis]

As the excerpted propaganda stated, "The cost of a residential solar system, creating about 3,500 watts, is estimated at $35,000. However, the federal government offers a 30 percent tax credit and Hawaii provides a 35 percent credit or $5,000, whichever is less."For your information, friends, 3.5 kiloWatts (3,500 Watts) is amount of power to run approximately a 3.5 horsepower motor or approximately 50% of the electricity necessary to run the average household.$35,000 paid out by anyone for said 3500 Watts solar power installation ($10,000 per kiloWatt INITIAL cost) is an EXORBITANT amount of cash to pay for such a small amount of power output, especially since the output is ZERO kiloWatts when the sun goes down...duh! Even with the government handouts (which the government has to extort from ALL taxpayers who actually PAY TAXES), the cost is still exorbitant. So, don't listen to this professional electrical engineer who has designed power systems and listen to the self-serving lolos that are out to screw us, the rate payers and tax payers. We have nothing to lose but our hard earned bucks!'Nuff said...

[No Deal]

Until HECO buys solar-generated power from its customers at the same rate HECO currently charges its customers, I'm all ears.

[Scammers]

No Deal wrote:

Until HECO buys solar-generated power from its customers at the same rate HECO currently charges its customers, I'm all ears.

They do. it's called Net Energy Metering, of NEM. If you generate more than you use at a given moment, your meter turns backwards, feeding the PV juice into the grid for someone else to use. In essence, you are getting paid retail for your generation. It is still a subsidy, paid for by those that cannot afford to install their own systems.

[dumpnoco2]

Scammers wrote:

<quoted text>
They do. it's called Net Energy Metering, of NEM. If you generate more than you use at a given moment, your meter turns backwards, feeding the PV juice into the grid for someone else to use. In essence, you are getting paid retail for your generation. It is still a subsidy, paid for by those that cannot afford to install their own systems.

And, if you don't use it; you lose it. At the end of the year; whatever surplus you have accumulated will be confiscated thanks to HECO and our hard working legislatures. Is that a subsidy to the utility company?

[Fellow Realist]

realist wrote:

Oh yea, spend less money on electricity; give me a break. Why don't you publish the "buy back" rate and then see how the $35,000 less $5,000 investment gets paid back. Come on SB; do a little analysis before coming to your editorial opinion.

There is a program called RET Screen. It allows you to plug in values of climate, power aplications, buyback rates etc. It's very detailed (and free) and is used by engineers areound the world. I am currently using it to analize a small scale residential wind application in Hawaii(skystream 3.7). Which is why I'm here. You would be abosolutly insane not to have one in Hawaii. Even on 100% loan for 14000 dollar average cost, the equity payback is still immediate with the federal and state tax credits. If all goes well you stand to save nearly 35000 dollars in 20 years. There is virtually no cost!!!(savings begin to match loan payments almost instantly).

[Fellow Realist]

realist wrote:

Oh yea, spend less money on electricity; give me a break. Why don't you publish the "buy back" rate and then see how the $35,000 less $5,000 investment gets paid back. Come on SB; do a little analysis before coming to your editorial opinion.

Oh yeah the buyback rate is the same rate you pay. There is no subsidy, so essentially your meter rolls backwards (or forwards a whole lot slower).