Last State as First Renewably Powered State

December 27, 2008

Seriously. Hawaii as full proof-of-concept to sustainably power a society. Consider these things Hawaii brings to the table:

• finite land boundaries to clearly demarcate the scope of the undertaking
• abundant wind, solar, wave, tidal, biomass and geothermal potential
• the priciest energy in the U.S. (Ranking.pdf)
• 87 percent of Hawaiian electricity is made from (mostly foreign) oil
• the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative promulgating 70 percent renewables by 2030
• a newly inked deal with Better Place to develop an electric car recharging grid

If the nation's challenge of moving from oil is a gargantuan term paper with a looming deadline, Hawaii is the starter task. Somthing the nation can sink its teeth into. It will get the juices flowing; give us confidence that we can tackle the assignment. Enough already of placating our dread with Funyuns and Schaeffer beer and Little Debbie cakes, enough lolling around the couch in aimless, procrastinatory channel surf, Hawaii is offering us a way to get off the couch.

The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative and the Better Place deal are thoughtful pieces of work that prepare Hawaii to be the nation's model. Who knew? As I was considering Hawaii as the place earlier this year, forces were already gathering for this more serious effort. Governor Linda Lingle was there, the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)...everyone was already there, sketching out a plan to make Hawaii the model for American energy independence.

Adding Better Place to Hawaii's thesis statement is the sort of magic that happens when you get off the couch. Electric cars to soak up HECO's anticipated excess nighttime production of wind power, electric cars as stabilizers and moderators of the electric grid. This type of powerful angle tends to develop if you simply get started.

Could you get me another beer? I wanna see how this Hawaii thing turns out.

Photo: ｍｓｐ | uoʞıɾnɟ ʇıq-8。on flickr (photo of a Sony Ericsson billboard ad)

Comments

[Sherry]

This past year the exorbitant cost of fuel nearly destroyed our economy and seriously damaged our society. That one single factor alone affected every single facet of our economy and society. Filling up at the pump broke most family budgets alone. Added to that was the financial burden of sharp increases in every consumer product because the increased cost of fuel was passed on through the production and shipping of such products. Utility companies sought and were granted record price hikes further straining the family budget. WE cut back, cut out frills, for some that was not going out to eat any longer, cutting off the home phone and only using the cell. Shutting the cable off, or maybe going longer to replace things that really need replaced like the family car, tires, clothing etc. Sadly some have had to go so far as to cut out necessary medications just to keep a roof over their heads. Day after day sad stories are on the news about animal shelters bursting at the seams as families either lost their homes or can no longer feed their pets. Cutting back further reduces consumer spending which results in even more jobs lost. While we are so busy doing the happy dance at the pumps at the lower gas prices OPEC is planning to cut production until the reach their desired 75-100. per barrel price. My electric bill went up 16% during the height of this, now they are talking about reducing it 4% since fuel is back down. What happened to the other 12%? Groceries have not come back down and most are in smaller packaging so we are paying more for less. Freddie and Fannie have taken most all the blame for our society's economy. Of all the homes I have seen lost in FL and I have seen many and many more in the process none have been due to an adjustable mortgage like the media likes to portray, they have been due to lack of employment. Those who do still have a job have seen tremendous cutbacks in hours available which cuts their check, some in half. WE need to use some of these stimulus/bailout dollars to make America Energy Dependent. It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents a gallon to charge and drive an electric car. The electricity to charge the car could conceivably be generated by solar or wind. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and suv’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota.What a win -win situation it would be for our nation to create clean, cheap electricity, create millions of badly needed new green collar jobs and at the same time we could reduce and eventually eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. I just read a fascinating and profound book by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. The plan outlined in his book would save this country from financial ruin as well as get us out from under our dependence on foreign oil. I encourage all to read this book, especially our politicians. Also I encourage all of you to visit Better Place @ http://www.betterplace.com/ to see the work this new company is doing to make our country energy independent. There is a tab on the upper right hand side of the page to click to sign up for news letters and sign an online petition. Very worthwhile. We have to do our part as citizens to educate ourselves and be more proactive.

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