Show’s Inaugural Guests Return with an Update; Energy Futures Transitions to a Different Host

Ted Peck (center) and Robert Harris returned to Energy Futures for the final show produced and hosted by Doug Carlson (broad smile).

State Energy Administrator Ted Peck and Sierra Club Hawaii director Robert Harris were the first guests on Energy Futures when the Hawaii Public Radio program began on July 6, 2009. They returned yesterday for producer and host Doug Carlson’s final show in his volunteer gig.

Beth-Ann Kozlovich, executive producer of HPR’s public affairs programming, will carry on in Doug’s former role at least for a while as he devotes full time to Carlson Communications, his communications consultancy with special attention to renewable energy and sustainability, including building the Honolulu rail system. There’s been considerable positive feedback from the community about the weekly show, which was broadcast live 5-6 pm HST Mondays on KIPO-FM, 89.3 in Hawaii. (August 2010 Update: the program no longer is part of HPR's public affairs lineup.)

Energy Futures has devoted more time than the daily media can to a wide range of issues and technologies during the past seven months – geothermal energy, wind, solar, wave, biofuel, ocean thermal energy conversion (Doug’s favorite), climate change, sea level rise, the Public Utilities Commission, feed-in tariffs, energy conservation, electric vehicles, food and agriculture sustainability and so on. One of the first shows looked into Native Hawaiian concerns about renewable energy development.

Ted and Robert covered numerous energy issues and took listeners' questions on Monday’s program. Next week, Beth-Ann will take a close look at Hawaiian Electric Company’s recent filing with the PUC to suspend additional photovoltaic hookups in Maui and Hawaii counties while studies are conducted on grid reliability. Ted Peck will be back, along with a HECO representative.

* * * * *

July 19, 2010 Update: Dr. Stephen Schneider, Stanford University climate scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (along with his colleagues on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Vice President Al Gore), died today. His interview on "Energy Futures" was broadcast twice in 2009 and was archived on the Internet.

EF Highlights Blue Planet’s Legislative Initiatives

Blue Planet Foundation Executive Director Jeff Mikulina

“If at first you don’t succeed…..” You know the rest of that ditty. The dollar-per-barrel tax on imported oil made it through the Legislature in 2009 only to be vetoed by the Governor. The measure failed when the veto override vote fell short.

That was then, and the 2010 version of the legislation backed by the Blue Planet Foundation is now a $5-per-barrel tax. Executive Director Jeff Mikulina described the Foundation’s top legislative priorities on Monday’s Energy Futures show.

The barrel tax is priority #1, and not far behind is the measure called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Bond Financing. Jeff said he’s open to a better name and invited listeners to visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the Foundation's dozen policy proposals before the Legislature.

Monday, February 22

My last show! But the show will go on; Beth-Ann Kozlovich will fill the role of producer and host until another person is found do those jobs. We kicked off the weekly program in July 2009 and gave it seven months before deciding this HPR volunteer needs to start spending his time more profitably while advancing renewable energy projects (see our communications consulting practice’s website).

The final program under the current host will bring back the first show’s two guests – State Energy Administrator Ted Peck and Sierra Club director Robert Harris.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archived file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at the Hawaii Public Radio website.

Wave Energy Advocates Say It’s Coming Soon; Marine Base Sets Goal of 100% Renewables by 2015

State Representative Cynthia Thielen

We must admit to setting aside some of our skepticism about the potential for wave energy conversion (WEC) to make inroads in Hawaii. Representative Cynthia Thielen, our in-studio guest, admitted to being furious (in a good-natured way) with Energy Futures’ host (me) on those occasions when that skepticism crept into earlier programs.

Still, the up-front capital cost for WEC and other renewables remains a key obstacle to the rapid rollout of this particular technology. Rep. Thielen and our other guests on Monday’s show – Dr. Tom Denniss of Oceanlinx and Kent Murata of Marine Corps Base Hawaii – remain optimistic.

Oceanlinx hopes to install two or three platforms off the north coast of Maui within two years. Denniss described the company’s technology in general terms and declined to estimate what the price of its wave-produced energy will be.

Murata said Ocean Power Technologies has deployed a buoy in Kaneohe Bay in cooperation with the Marine base. He said the base’s intention is to be 100-percent energy independent by 2015, the most aggressive timetable we’ve heard in the islands.

WEC seems to have sparked the public’s imagination. The show had more callers during the hour than any other topic in Energy Futures’ seven-month run.

Monday, February 15

Our next program will focus on energy-related legislation before the current session of the Legislature with guest Jeff Mikulina, executive director of the Blue Planet Foundation.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archive file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at the Hawaii Public Radio website.

Sustainable Agriculture & Energy Share Top Billing

Jerome Renick and Richard Ha

Big Islanders Richard Ha and Jerome Renick flew to Honolulu to be on Energy Futures this week, bringing with them an agricultural perspective that was refreshingly different from what passes for normal fare in Honolulu.

Richard is president of Hamakua Springs Country Farms located on the slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, and Jerry is with the Integrated Agriculture Network, also on the Big Island’s Hamakua Coast. They both champion expansion of Hawaii’s agriculture sector as part of a broader sustainability endeavor, including energy independence.

Kelly King, vice president of Pacific Biodiesel, called in from her Maui office to talk about the company's blessing of a new facility in Keaau on the Big Island this week. It will use cooking oil and the residue of grease traps to process into biofuel. Contributing in the program’s last segment was Hawaii Solar Energy Association President Mark Duda, who answered callers’ questions on solar energy.

Monday, February 8

Wave energy will be our focus in the next program. State Representative Cynthia Thielen will be with us in the studio to take listeners’ calls. Joining us by phone will be representatives of Oceanlinx, an Australian company that is actively pursuing a wave energy project off the coast of Maui.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archived file of Monday's show is posted at the Hawaii Public Radio website.

It’s Electric! Hawaii Anticipates a Car Revolution

Brian Goldstein, Scott Saffian, Mark Piscioneri

The industry that hopes to bring all-electric vehicles to Hawaii consumers made news in recent days, so yesterday’s Energy Futures program had the advantage of also being exceptionally timely.

Better Place announced a $350 million private financing deal yesterday, and Brian Goldstein, the company’s Honolulu representative, was with us to describe it and reaffirm Better Place’s plans for the Hawaii market.

Only Hawaii and California’s Bay Area are the announced targets for Better Place’s near-term efforts in the United States, and Goldstein said his job is to be sure Hawaii has priority over California. Significant development of the company’s network could begin within a couple years after the initial push in Israel and Denmark.

Also in the studio were Mark Piscioneri, Oahu Manager of Maui-based Hawaii Electric Vehicles, which presided over the dedication of Honolulu’s first electric vehicle charging station in Kakaako last Saturday. The Charge Point station is manufactured by Coulomb Technologies, and a last-minute addition to the show was Scott Saffian, the company’s senior vice president for sales.

Contributing in the program’s last segment was Hawaii Solar Energy Association President Mark Duda, who answered callers’ questions on solar energy. We’ll continue to take such calls until they taper off, so Mark will be back next Monday in the program’s third segment.

Monday, February 1

Next Monday’s program will focus on sustainable agriculture and its relationship to energy efficiency. Guests will be Richard Ha, president of Hamakua Springs Country Farms located on the slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, and Jerome Renick of the Integrated Ac\griculture Network, also on the Big Island’s Hamakua Coast.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archive file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at the Hawaii Public Radio website.

Mark Duda’s Solar Q&A Segment Deemed a Success; Electric Vehicles To Be Spotlighted in Next Show

Drs. Sharon Miyashiro and Mike Hamnett (in HPR-logo T-shirt)

Listening to what our audience wants to talk about over the past six months led us to schedule a question-and-answer segment devoted to solar energy in Monday’s Energy Futures program. The experiment worked, and Mark Duda, president of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, joined the show in the third and final segment to answer several calls from listeners about solar installation and financing.

Solar is the hot topic in Hawaii energy circles as individual consumers seek ways to save on their electric bills and reduce fossil fuel use, so we’re bringing Mark back in next Monday’s show and will keep doing so in the 5:40-6 pm (HST) segment until we seem to have exhausted our listeners’ questions – or Mark.

The majority of the program was devoted to the package of legislative proposals currently being coordinated among the 47 members of the Hawai Energy Policy Forum. Co-chairs Dr. Sharon Miyashiro and Dr. Mike Hamnett discussed in general terms (because all 47 haven’t signed off yet) the Forum's initiatives in energy leadership, energy conservation and renewable energy. The program is archived at Hawaii Public Radio’s website.

January 25th -- Electric Vehicles

Next Monday’s program will focus on all-electric vehicles and how soon we may see advances in rolling them out in Hawaii. Our guests will be Brian Goldstein of Better Place, which in 2008 announced its intention to invest $1 billion in building an electric car network in Hawaii, and Mark Piscioneri, Oahu Manager of Maui-based Hawaii Electric Vehicles. HIEV will have unveiled Honolulu’s first electric vehicle charging station in Kakaako on Saturday, January 23.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archive file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at HPR's site.

Energy Policy Forum Agenda Is Monday’s Show; Plus, We Start a Recurring Solar Energy Feature

Guests on Monday’s Energy Futures show will be the co-chairs of the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum – Sharon Miyashiro and Mike Hamnett, both of the University of Hawaii. We’ll discuss the Forum’s legislative proposals for this year’s session, which begins on January 20.

We’ll also launch a new – and we think recurring – feature on Monday’s program, a segment reserved for our listeners’ questions on solar energy and how to integrate it into their lives. The evidence of the past six months of shows is in: Listeners light up Hawaii Public Radio’s phone lines more when solar energy is the theme than for any other topic. Mark Duda (right), president of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, will be available during the program’s third and final 20-minute segment to take callers’ questions. We’re planning to make this a feature in the 5:40 p.m. segment; we’ll promote it and see whether it has the appeal we think it will.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” every Monday 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archive file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at the Hawaii Public Radio website.

Big Inroads on Jet Fuel Options Decades Away

Keoni Wagner and Pat Takahashi

Here’s a switch. Rather than write about this week's Energy Futures show myself, I referring you to Pat Takahashi’s blog. He was a guest on the show and was taking notes while I moderated the conversation.

With him in the studio was Keoni Wagner of Hawaiian Airlines, and on the phone were Tom Todaro, CEO of AltAir Fuels in Seattle, and John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist of the Air Transport Association in Washington, D.C.

Pat’s review of the show seems complete to me. I’ll just note the feeling of disappointment that arrived when the guests agreed that we won’t see significant gains in substituting biofuel for fossil-based jet fuel until the 2020’s at the earliest. As Pat notes, this is a decades-long quest, and we’ve already lost decades in arriving at this point.

Next week’s guests will be the co-chairs of the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum – Sharon Miyashiro and Mike Mamnett, both of the University of Hawaii. We’ll discuss the Forum’s legislative proposals for this year’s session, which begins on January 20.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archive file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at the Hawaii Public Radio website.

Alternatives to Jet Fuel Topic of Monday’s Show

Hawaii’s economy requires a healthy tourism industry to thrive. Tourism in turn requires affordable air transportation to the islands from both east and west.

Jet fuel is the mother’s milk of Hawaii’s tourism industry, and when the price of oil increases, air travel becomes less affordable. That was never more obvious than in 2008, when oil prices soared to nearly 150 dollars per barrel. Record high oil prices and the worsening recession resulted in a steep downturn for our economy.

Could it happen again? Many observers believe it’s inevitable as long as Hawaii’s economic survival remains so overwhelmingly dependent on oil. Monday’s Energy Futures program on Hawai Public Radio will look at recent efforts to find a replacement for jet fuel before oil runs out or becomes so expensive few will be able to afford air travel.

AltAir Fuels Inc. of Seattle has signed an agreement with 14 airlines, including Hawaiian Airlines, to supply them with plant-based biofuel. We’ll discuss those efforts with company CEO Tom Todaro by telephone. With us in the studio will be Hawaiian Airlines vice president and long-time spokesman Keoni Wagner.

And we've added two other guests just today (1/11) -- John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist of the Air Transport Association, and Pat Takahashi, retired University of Hawaii profession and veteran of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute whose Huffington Post contribution a few months ago predicted severe economic troubles for Hawaii if energy costs were to return to 2008 levels.

Listeners can join the show by calling 941-3689 on Oahu and 1-877-941-3689 from the neighbor islands and beyond. Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet.

Solar Energy Issues Dominate Listeners’ Calls

Warren Bollmeier and Mark Duda

Energy Futures started the year yesterday by provoking a good number of calls from listeners with questions on solar energy-related topics -- installation, the proposed feed-in tariff system, net metering, etc.

Most of our the answers were supplied by Mark Duda, president of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, and Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance president Warren Bollmeier contributed as well.

Starting the program off was Dr. Sharon Miyashiro (at left), co-chair of the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum, which will conduct a public legislative briefing at 10 -11 am Friday, January 8. Numerous energy-focused groups will have booth displays that day on the Capitol’s fourth floor.

Dr. Miyashiro and Forum co-chair Dr. Mike Hamnett will be our Energy Futures guests on January 18. The Hawaii State Legislature convenes on January 20.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and also is streamed at that time at the Hawaii Public Radio website. Shows are archived for a few weeks after they’ve aired and are available online for downloading.

Show To Discuss Hawaii Energy Initiatives in ’10; Listeners Can Join In with Their Own Wish List

The Hawaii Energy Policy Forum will conduct its annual Legislative Briefing on January 8 this year, and we’ll start Monday’s Energy Futures programs with a general overview of the Forum’s outlook for this legislative session.

Forum co-chair Dr. Sharon Miyashiro will join us by phone to open the show, and we’ll invite listeners to comment on the Forum’s plans and share their views on what’s needed from the Legislature this year to keep Hawaii on track to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

In the studio to answer listeners’ questions and share their own views will be Mark Duda, president of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, and Warren Bollmeier, president of the Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” Mondays 5-6 pm HST and also is streamed at that time at the Hawaii Public Radio website. Shows are archived for a few weeks after they’ve aired and are available online for downloading.