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.

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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.