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Question provoking ed from Advertiser-
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...ergy+goals
My questions are-
Why not bid for "smart grid" from the Obama stimulus fund?
Why lay out the treasury sapping project if as alleged the Lanai windfarm provides only 10% of electricity for Lanai and what does that say about efficacy of windfarms?
How come no mention of geothermal???
Other people want to make friends- I just want to make money.
James Cramer
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A major shortcoming of the discussion in the editorial -- and, generally, in discussions about energy -- is that zero is said about using energy more efficiently.
Producing more energy may well be necessary to replace imported fossil fuels. As for best return on investment, energy conservation, i.e., increased efficiency of use, is the best. Of course, vested interests in the form of "energy developers" never ever want this to be in the discussion.
As for energy sources and infrastructure, distributed energy is not adequately considered. Again, there is less to be gained by "energy developers" when rural communities and rural households control their own energy.
Geothermal, wind, solar, and tidal are truly sustainable and renewable. So-called 'waste-to-energy' is an expensive, dirty deception that is neither sutainable nor renewable.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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I'm posting this letter from Helco president Jay Ignacio from Yesterday's West Hawaii Today. It offers a glimmer of hope. Remember, though, THERY are always two jumps ahead of us, and nothing is ever done which ACTUALLY reduses what we pay.
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Helco responds
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 8:57 AM HST
Moving toward stable prices no linked to oil
Your Dec. 11 editorial column ("Isle energy: headed in the right and wrong directions -- simultaneously") did a good job of pointing out the challenges of using sustainable renewable energy to provide electric service at economical prices. As you recognized, most of the renewable energy purchased by Hawaii Electric Light Company is currently linked to the price of oil. We at HELCO agree that it makes sense for purchases of renewable energy not to be linked to the price of oil and will ensure all future contracts are "de-linked" from oil prices.
Previously, government policy reflected the thinking that prices based on "avoided costs" that vary with the price of oil were vital to ensure the long-term sustained development of renewable energy technologies. Electric Utilities were required to pay for renewable energy at avoided cost. This policy was successful in leading to the development of renewable technologies that can now provide energy at a lower cost than fossil fuel-based energy at higher fuel prices. However, HELCO is obligated to honor the contracts established under the old era. The good news is a recent state law now requires all new renewable energy contracts to be de-linked from oil prices.
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It's also important to note that to incorporate increasing amounts of renewable energy from sources that are variable in output (like solar and wind) or located in remote parts of the Big Island, investments in utility infrastructure will be needed to reliably integrate it into our island's grid. By making these investments, the long-term benefit will be electricity prices for customers that are much more stable, and not tied to possible wild fluctuations and expected increases in the price of oil.
Jay Ignacio
President
Hawaii Electric Light Company
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According to the chart in this article geothermal is the best alternative energy. What's holding up further buildout of this resource? Is this as worthy a goal as a train going across Oahu?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126290539750320495.html
Other people want to make friends- I just want to make money.
James Cramer
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Geothermal is about built out already; there's only so much steam down there.
Biodiesel from Kukui nuts looks good. That's what I'm planting, anyway.
http://www.lifeofthelandhawaii.org/Bio_D...C_2006.pdf
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quote:
Originally posted by rbrgs
Geothermal is about built out already; there's only so much steam down there.
Not even close. Most of Iceland is powered by geothermal.
[url][/url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Iceland
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which begs the question- "what are we waiting for"[?][?][?]
Other people want to make friends- I just want to make money.
James Cramer
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quote:
Originally posted by tada
which begs the question- "what are we waiting for"[?][?][?]
There are a few reasons that come to mind.
There is a cultural hurdle on the island to overcome. Some people believe that it is akin to stealing something from Pele. Taking a piece of lava from the volcano is a no-no, but is apparently OK for a local firm to blast and grind up lava and ship it by the barge-full to other islands or the mainland. It is a nice double standard.
The state of Hawaii lays claim to all mineral rights and they claim steam to be a mineral that they own. Therefore, they actually tax the steam that the geothermal company brings out of the ground even though the steam is (water) is injected right back into the ground after it is used to power the turbines.
There are also some environmental concerns which I do not fully understand. They drill a basketball sized hole in the ground - not any larger than the large wells that are drilled to obtain water. They pull out steam, run it through the turbine and produce electricity and put the water back. Those wells pull out water and put nothing back. (anyone care to help out here?)
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Couple of points: "There is only so much steam down there" Actually, on an active volcano, I tend to believe that the ability to generate steam is unlimited. Secondly, with regard to the State's 'mineral rights', it would appear to be a no brainer to challenge their definition of 'mineral' in court. Certainly H2O (water) is NOT a mineral, although it may contain trace minerals which could be subject to tax if the issue was pushed to the ridiculous.
If there was to be a company formed to develop electricity by geothermal means, the tax paid by such company would surely offset any quibbles regarding mineral rights. As a side question, does the State tax the use of seawater by the Energy Lab on Konaside? I see no difference between using the thermal differences of differing layers of seawater to generate electricity and the use of steam and then returning hot water to the earth. Neither one uses up the water, so there is no provable loss to the State. In much the same way, generating electricity by diverting falling water through a pipe then returning it to the river does not use up water, merely harnesses the free fall energy to power a turbine.
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We went through this whole geothermal debate 15 years ago. Land was swapped, rainforest was degraded, plenty of people got arrested, but, in the end, what was developable got developed. And it didn't end up being cheap, either. Anyone who tells you different has a project for you to "invest" in.....
