HECO Says "NO" to Photovolaic Solar Electricity in Kapolei Theme Park
Today I heard that a large photovoltaic project planned for the Kapolei cooridor for an unmentionable big theme park is dead. The reason? Not financing, nor space, nor supply ability. Nope. It was the...
View ArticleHawaiian Electric Company (HECO) Delays Feed In Tariff (FIT)
On October 26, 2010, Harold Judd, the Independant Observer (IO) appointed by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), requested that the feed in tarriff (FIT) for Oahu be extended to November 17...
View ArticleSelling Commercial Solar PV Systems
HEDCO Local Development Company (LDC) and Alternate Energy hosted a presentation tonight on financing of commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The speakers included Lori Hiramatsu from HEDCO,...
View ArticleRebuild Hawaii Holds November Meeting
Rebuild Hawaii Consortium held its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, November 10. The meeting consisted of a presentation by the University of Hawaii at Manoa-Outreach College Paulette Feeney and was...
View ArticleUS Treasury Grants for Solar, Wind to Expire
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) included a provision that allowed for companies to apply for a 30% energy grant in lieu of the existing Investment Tax Credit (ITC), also 30%....
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HECO FIT Site Up and Running
The independent observer retained by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to administer the application and queue process for the Feed In Tariff program, put its website live at...
View ArticleHawaii FIT Queue in Neutral
On November 17, 2010, Hawaii's first venture into the European style Feed In Tariff system leaped forward, New Hampshire style. The independant observer retained by the Hawaii PUC to implement the...
View ArticleExtension of 1603 Energy Grant Program May Involve Hawaii Like Refund
As the 1603 Federal Grant Program authorized under the 2009 Recovery Act winds down, there is a mad scramble for the alternative energy industry to lobby congress for an extension.The New York Times...
View ArticleStill no PV Grants in 2011, but Big Tax Breaks
President Barack Obama aligned himself with the new Republican congress and extended the Bush tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of 2010. For Obama, he received a 13 month extension of...
View ArticleHawaii Commecial PV Projects will Benefit from Federal Tax Package
The Senate approved the measure to move the negotiated tax cut package forward. The bill gets a final vote on Wednesday, and then moves on to the House where some opposition from the Democrats appear...
View ArticlePrice of Oil Could Disrupt Hawaii Growth
As the price of oil fluctuates at $90 per barrel, the fragile growth of Hawaii's number one industry, tourism, may be in jeopardy. In 2008 oil prices broke $147 a barrel creating a spike in gasoline...
View ArticleUS Military Says No to China
The New York Times is reporting that the the defense appropriations bill signed by President Obama on Friday includes a "Buy American" provision for DoD purchases of solar panels. The provision...
View ArticleHawaii Legislature to Focus on Alternative Energy
The 2011 session of the Hawaii Legislature opened to some controversy over the lack of leadership in the House of Representatives where a power struggle kept long time House Leader, Calvin Say, from...
View ArticleTreasury Publishes PV Values
The Section 1603 program under the United States Treasury allows owners to apply for a 30% grant for the installation of photovoltaic systems. This program is different from the IRS administrered...
View ArticleHawaii to increase Electric Surcharge to 2%
Hawaii electric utility payers are already paying 1.5% of the projected utiltiy revenues to fund the Public Benefits Fund, or the PBF. The fund is adminstered by Hawaii Energy, a private for-profit...
View ArticleIs Hawaii's Economy Sustainable?
On October 13, 2011, the Honolulu Star Advertiser announced that HECO was to enter into a power puchase agremeent with SunPower Inc. SunPower will sell solar electricity to HECO at a rate under $0.20...
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