puna power for kona dumps?

[Guest]

Just how much power comes from geothermal,why must they reach this 60 megawatt goal, how much of it goes beyond Puna to say the resorts in Kona?
How much garbage is being trucked from puna or hilo to kona, what is the costs, instead of spending big money to handle its own garbage on this side?

These are a few questions I have regarding our community issues and the way our mayor has handled both.

Just my opinion here, but it seems as if we are trading resources(water and electric)for garbage with the kona side? What are your thoughts?

[leilanidude]

The more renewable power that HELCO uses, the less oil they have to import onto the island. Oil is the biggest potential environmental disaster waiting to happen on our coastlines. You do like to fish, right?

[Guest]

Leilanidude, howzit? Yes I love to fish and try to go at least once a week with my boys. I agree with you that oil import to Hawaii is to much. Don't want any accident along our coast involving oil, molasses, or people waste from cruises and runoff. We could attack this oil import many different ways, like skinning a cat. Try not to limit yourself to trading one problem for another(less oil, more geothermal power).

[kalakoa]

1a. If the cost of lawsuits is included, is geothermal actually cheaper than imported oil?

1b. Have the anti-geothermal activists suggested a better alternative? Their posture would seem to favor imported oil. (This is equally applicable to the anti-wind activists.)

2. The long-range goal is an inter-island power grid so that this island can export electricity to Oahu. Where is the equivalent long-range plan to deal with our solid waste?

3. If the East Rift Zone is such a high-risk area that our elected leadership would seek to abolish HPIA, how can the PGV plant possibly be "safe" in its current location?

[Guest]

Good questions Kalakoa. Agree with you about the inter-island power grid move. So do you think our mayor knows anything about either community issue? He told kohala people some years back that puna would indeed have more geothermal by year 2015, yet told leilani residents about no future geothermal plans just last year. Does kona folks agree or even know about Puna's garbage being trucked daily to their dumps? Maybe i don't understand the garbage pilot program, or maybe its just to expensive to expand in hilo? These two issues should be discussed more as they are only becoming bigger community problems.

[pahoated]

We should all know by now this is another troll with a predetermined agenda using the faux emo tactic of hiding behind supposed sincere "community concern" questions.

The facts are at the various county web sites, but you aren't looking for facts, just opinions. That is all PW dispenses.

"Mahalo nui Pele, 'ae noho ia moku 'aina" - kakahiaka oli

[Guest]

The issues are real and so is the handling of them for our future generations. To many similarities to ignore.

[ironyak]

Originally posted by kalakoa
1a. If the cost of lawsuits is included, is geothermal actually cheaper than imported oil?

Most of PGV's current contract with HELCO has electrical prices tied to oil, so by design, this geothermal electricity cannot be cheaper than oil. Newer contracts are fixed price so cost comparison would depend on price of oil - sometimes cheaper, sometimes not?
The estimated settlements for the few successful lawsuits over the years are only a small fraction of PGV's millions of dollars per year in profit and unrelated to consumer pricing.
http://bigislandnow.com/2012/09/05/counc...-of-power/

1b. Have the anti-geothermal activists suggested a better alternative? Their posture would seem to favor imported oil. (This is equally applicable to the anti-wind activists.)

Who exactly do you mean by anti-geo activists? Bob P / PPA has strongly advocated solar, as well as wind, wave, and fuel cell technologies.
http://punapono.com/2015/index.php/links

2. The long-range goal is an inter-island power grid so that this island can export electricity to Oahu. Where is the equivalent long-range plan to deal with our solid waste?

Next-era has plans for the inter-island cable project.
http://www.nexteraenergyhawaii.com/conte...able.shtml

But just today, the House voted for legislation to weaken previous commitment by the state to facilitate financing for the inter-island cable project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7KZVL7ChW4

I do not know what, if any, long range plans exist for dealing with the county's solid waste. Anyone?

3. If the East Rift Zone is such a high-risk area that our elected leadership would seek to abolish HPIA, how can the PGV plant possibly be "safe" in its current location?

HPIA is not being abolished, but heavily modified to allow insurers to non-renew or cancel policies in areas under a lava related emergency.
http://capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv....illtype=HB&billnumber=737

I doubt PGV has HPIA insurance so they should be safe from these changes. PGV is built on the 1955 east rift flows and is just as safe from lava as everyone else in the area.

[kalakoa]

The facts are at the various county web sites

1. County does not have Puna's best interests in mind.

2. County would never misrepresent facts or misappropriate resources.

[kalakoa]

PPA has strongly advocated solar, as well as wind, wave, and fuel cell

The "conventional wisdom" suggests that solar/wind are not a suitable "base load" source.

Current fuel cell technologies use propane or natural gas as a source.

I do not know what, if any, long range plans exist for dealing with the county's solid waste.

Only the incinerator, which project has since been shelved.

PGV is built on the 1955 east rift flows and is just as safe from lava as everyone else in the area.

East rift is cited as "too dangerous" when convenient.

it seems as if we are trading resources(water and electric)for garbage with the kona side

It also "seems" that this deal isn't formalized or subject to public review, and (to me) suggests that the east and west sides of the island are separate. Maybe they should be.