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.