 And welcome to Power Up Hawaii where Hawaii comes together to walk towards a clean, renewable and just energy future. I am your host, Raya Salter. I'm a clean energy attorney, clean energy advocate and community outreach specialist. I'm also the principal attorney of Imagine Power LLC. So today we're going to take a look at important energy and utility news from Hawaii around the country and the world as reported in the last week. A lot going on in Hawaii, really huge news happening here in Hawaii. So first let's take a look at some recent developments in clean energy and clean energy policy in the islands. First story I think just really, really interesting and important news. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative or KIUC is considering a move out from under the authority of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. As reported by PBM, KIUC said in its strategic plan update which sort of announces its plans from 2016 to 2030 that it has begun to consider this move to a deregulated or minimally regulated status which would allow it, in their words, greater flexibility in responding to member concerns and unexpected changes in fuel prices and market conditions. KIUC, which has been making tremendous progress in lowering bills and integrating massive amounts of renewable energy into its grid, is achieving 37% renewable energy in 2016 from just 6% clean energy in 2017. Its current goal is generating at least 70% of its power from renewable sources by 2030 which would put it 10 years ahead of the state mandate. The utility has also assisted efforts on other islands to create member-owned electric cooperatives starting with the big island according to its strategic plan. KIUC has also concluded that liquefied natural gas is not a fuel alternative that will be embraced in Hawaii in the near term and that it is now looking at expanding the use of propane or renewable-based fuels. In the words of the utility, we will expand our search for alternatives to oil from legacy generating systems that must remain available to ensure adequate stability and capacity in order to meet the needs of all members, the utility said. So wow, this is, I think, really huge on several levels. Not only is KIUC, as we know, who has been working very closely in particular with Tesla on increasing its renewables in its portfolio. So not only have they been making huge strides, not only are they well ahead of state mandates for 100% renewable energy, but they are seeking to come out from under being regulated by the Hawaii Public Utility Commission and even just as explosive, they are looking to see if they can recreate this model on other islands or help other islands, notably the big island, recreate this model. This really, I think, is huge news. Interestingly, I was reading an article today that was talking about what are the top five states for utility reform in the country. And I think it always used to be, Hawaii always used to be mentioned in those lists. And now there have been so many grid modernization efforts, huge modernization efforts in places like Illinois. But just in this particular article, New York, California, Illinois, Hawaii didn't make that list. So I think that Hawaii has surged out ahead with regulatory reform and is still working towards a lot of cutting edge policies. There are a lot of really important dockets moving forward. What I think the message here is that energy companies and now utilities are not willing to wait for regulators or the utility in order to seize the opportunities that they see for energy for their customers, in particular with regard to renewable energy. I think that's something that we're going to see more and more of. And it'll be very interesting to hear the reaction to what happens here. And I think it's going to be an interesting analysis from a legal perspective, from a social perspective on what it would mean for, and what would need to happen in order for KIUC to become lightly regulated or mentally regulated. So just really huge news. We shall see what that means. And I think it has potentially very large repercussions for other islands and Hawaii more broadly in general. So let us stay tuned to that. Next we're going to talk a bit about what the reactions here have been to President Trump's rollback of Obama era climate rules and regulations and protections. I think it's important to look at what our politicians and representatives and our energy sector think about this issue. So Pacific Business News reported reaction from the energy sector on the Trump rollback of environmental rules and regulations. So Colin Yost, who's a partner with Rev. Luzon here in Honolulu, said that the Trump administration's preferred energy policies, which favor the oil and gas industry, would likely cause more harm to the environment and human health than any government in history. He does say, however, that the renewable energy industry will keep moving ahead being driven primarily by heavy consumer demand. So for instance, technology will continue to improve rapidly with prices continuing to go down for PV and batteries. Now let's see what HIKO had to say. So what HIKO's feeling was was that Trump's policies haven't changed the utility's commitment to achieve Hawaii's clean energy goals, which as we all know currently stand at 100% by 2045, the most aggressive goal of its kind in the United States. KIUC shared those sentiments. We just talked about how they feel about things. According to KIUC, with federal tax credits in place for utility-scale solar projects and strong policy support from the state, I see nothing but opportunity ahead for us in achieving our strategic goals for the foreseeable future. I said Dave Bacell, who's the president and CEO of KIUC. So I think it's really, it's interesting, and I definitely want to encourage anyone who's watching that, yes, we are having what I think is a really unfortunate rollback of Obama-era climate policy. However, the economic forces that are pushing cleaner renewable energy forward continue to be in place and will continue to be in place as clean and renewable energy simply just makes more and more sense. And so I think that really is the overarching message that people should take hope, even though as we will continue to talk today, there really are some very discouraging actions from what I believe are discouraging actions from the Trump administration on clean energy. So let's go ahead now and we'll talk about what some of our senators and one of our, and our congresswomen think about, have said about the Trump, new Trump action. So Trump's views on climate change run contrary not only to those of the Obama administration, but to the science being done right here in Hawaii. Ongoing measurements taken at NOAA's Manila Baseline Atmospheric Observatory show an unprecedented rise in the carbon dioxide levels over a two year period. A recent NOAA report stated carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere include by three parts per million in 2016, rising the overall average amount to 405.1 parts per million. Scientists say the increase that matched the record jump, that increase matched the record jump observed in 2015. So I think that is really talk, just talking a little bit about where we are now with carbon, you know, with carbon and how rolling back rules on controlling CO2 emissions and co-pollutants is really a rather, you know, an unfortunate, an unfortunate thing. But I think that as you'll see in our, in what some of our senators have to say, really is important that Hawaii sees and take lead on this conversation because it is not, even though it is absolutely critical for Hawaii to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the carbon footprint for many, many reasons, A, for emissions sake, B, for co-pollutants and human health, but then the big, big reasons are energy security and reducing the economic burden. Because the justice issue of this island's time is that Hawaii has done nothing, next to nothing in terms of a basis as individuals or space to contribute to climate change, yet Hawaii and other islands will be experiencing the effects of climate change first and in a more severe manner than other parts of the world. So the Democratic Party has rallied behind the philosophy that change in climate is primarily a man-made problem, while many Republican opponents have sought to debunk that theory. But it doesn't have to be a political issue. A University of Hawaii Hilo Assistant Professor in geography said Mr. Ryan Piroi. He spoke on the climate change issue during the well-attended Women's March in Hilo held the day after Trump's inauguration. He pointed out that Charles David Keeling, the father of the Keeling curve graph that plots the CO2 data collected at Manaloa, was a Republican. This is an important point for me, Piroi said to the crowd, because science is or should be blind to political persuasion. So I'll read a few sentences from Senator Schatz. President Trump's latest executive order reverses the historic progress we've made on climate for short-term games that will go straight into the pockets of oil, gas and coal companies. Now is not the time to turn our back on the growing clean energy economy, and that's exactly what this executive order will do. So here is a statement from Senator Hirono. While the president can afford to live in this alternative universe, Hawaii and other island communities are forced to grapple with the reality of climate change. Our coral reefs are dying because of historically high ocean temperatures. By 2100, Hawaii sea levels will rise by more than three feet. We owe it to our keiki to listen to our climate scientists and build upon not erase the progress that we've made. And now I'll read just a few sentences from Representative Tulsi Gabbard on the matter. I have no doubt that Hawaii will continue to lead the nation in renewable energy production. We must continue investing in renewable energy, moving away from foreign oil and fossil fuels, and moving towards our goal of 100% clean energy by 2045. So I just really felt that it was important because we've had this tremendous sort of executive order come out of the White House last week that we look at what the Hawaii response has been. We know, and I think it's important to look at it in context of other responses. We know that Hawaii was a part of putting a hold on President Trump's travel ban. And we know, again, I know I said it, but I truly, truly believe that it's critical that the nature of the conversation here about climate change be elevated and moved from this idea of we need to focus, yes, we need to focus on mitigation because we're doing 100% renewable energy. But we here have a different dynamic with regards to sea level rise. And it is to our immediate yet also going forward just true peril to not fight back to make sure that global greenhouse gases are reduced on a global scale and that also we do everything we can for energy security and resilience here. So on that note, I'll go ahead. We're going to take a break and we'll be right back with more energy news on Power of Hawaii. Aloha, this is your House to be a Trisk and Telmo. Come and join us every Friday at four o'clock on Perspectives of Global Justice. Hey, Stan, the energy man here. Thanks for joining us on Think Tech Hawaii. And I invite you to join me every Friday on Think Tech Hawaii at 12 o'clock, where I give you all the energy news that's worth talking about here in Honolulu. And I love to talk about hydrogen. So join us on Friday on my lunch hour here at Think Tech Hawaii. Be there, Aloha. Hi, this is Jane Sugimura. I'm the co-host for Kondo Insider. And we're on Think Tech Hawaii every Thursday at three o'clock. And we're here to talk about condominium living and issues that affect condominium residents and owners. And I hope you'll join us every week on Thursday. Aloha. Welcome back to Power of Hawaii, where Hawaii comes together to walk towards a clean, renewable and just energy future. I'm your host, Raya Salter. So, yes, we spent some time talking about some really big news, interesting news coming out of Hawaii, but also talking a bit about some of the hard news that came out of the Trump administration with the executive orders rolling back the Obama legacy on climate and climate protections. But I really, you know, while that is it can be, it is it can be hard and it can be heavy, and we do have a lot to face here with climate change. I think it is one of the best things about this show is that we can focus on solutions and we can focus on positivity and how we can all be empowered to participate and move towards a space where we can, where these islands can thrive economically and also sustainably going forward as we face climate change. And one of those things is energy efficiency, and we've had some good progress there. Hawaii can win big with the new clean energy efficiency bill. So, according to estimates, the state of Hawaii could save more than $14 billion in energy costs during the next 20 years under a new building code recently signed by Governor David E. Gay. The new code, which was signed by the governor on March 20, will soon go into effect for state buildings. The code governs new construction and most renovation of residential, commercial and state buildings. The new building energy code only applies to state construction until the counties adopt the updated energy code. The counties have two years to take action, after which time the new code takes effect automatically. So, energy efficiency is the most cost-effective energy resource available in the state, costing a fraction of fossil fuel-powered electricity. An analysis of the new rules prepared for the state by the Cadmus Group last year found that updated rules would save nearly $14.5 billion in savings across the islands using today's electricity prices. The savings start at $4 million for the first year, but quickly grow as more buildings comply with the efficiency requirements. So, again, great news. Hawaii is moving forward on energy efficiency codes. This means that buildings can be made to be structurally made, to use less energy, and that saves money for customers. And it saves money for the state overall. So, I think this is great news, and these rules really seem to have teeth because the bill has passed, and it looks like everyone's going to have to grapple with them in one way or the other, or in two years they will take effect anyway. So, of course, with these types of things, it's always about enforcement. The same is true in New York City. But then, what tends to come after we get these types of codes, or at least if the model like the New York City, sorry, from New York models are followed, is that with energy efficiency requirements, then you also start getting requirements for audits, requirements for energy benchmarking, and then reporting that data. And I can definitely say that in New York City where that trajectory has happened, that has empowered just a whole new generation of analysis on a number of issues in terms of looking at where savings can be, where greenhouse gas emissions savings can come from, where fuel savings, what types of buildings and properties can most benefit from boiler replacement or renewable energy or battery systems. So, I think we've got some great movement forward on energy efficiency here. So fantastic. More huge news that has been announced, and this was at the Maui Energy Conference. And folks in the energy world have sort of known that this was creeping about. But Molokai could be 100% renewable by 2020. So at the recent Maui Energy Conference, officials from HECO, parent company of MECO, as we know, detailed a plan that would make Molokai the first Hawaii island to completely kick the fossil fuel habit. The first step of the Molokai Island Grid Initiative involves testing a battery storage system, which is essential to providing power on demand throughout the day when it's generated by intermittent sources such as solar energy. The battery system is also meant to provide near-term stability to the grid. Keeping the lights on should a generator ever go offline. The next phase of the Grid Initiative involves reducing and stabilizing energy costs, expanding the range of locally produced renewable energy sources, improving grid reliability and resiliency, promoting clean energy education, and creating job opportunities in the sector. HECO says that by using a mix of solar, wind, biofuels, and battery storage, Molokai could be 100% renewable by 2020. So again, I think we knew that this was something that could happen on Molokai. And it's great, I think, that the utility is coming forward and just going ahead and announcing it. And I think that's correct. It's a holistic solution. You need to look at what's the technology, but also what is going to be the economic component, what's going to be the people component. How do you engage people in understanding how they can most benefit from and also, as mentioned, cost reduction, because that's something that customers in Hawaii need a lot of is rate relief. So it's exciting. It's also interesting when you think about it from a macro level and you think about the 100% renewable energy goal. We've got Molokai saying that it can get to 100% by 2020. We've got KIUC saying that it can get to 100% by 2020. Well, you do the math. You do the math. What does this mean in terms of the big island? What does this mean in terms of we've also heard murmurs out of Lenai at being able to beat 2045? So I think eyes are on a wahoo in the big island and also given that we've got KIUC looking at how can folks in the big island look at being cooperatives, potentially unregulated cooperatives. I think we're potentially talking about a huge transformation in Hawaii of the energy sector in the next not even five years and the next three to five years. So I think that it's a positive thing, again, to talk about RPS renewable portfolio standards and goals. And here we are in Hawaii almost making a mockery of our own, which is fantastic. And I think still an argument for a big goal is a good thing because you don't know where innovation and technology and progress is going to take you. But I think that it's worth thinking about 2045. It's worth thinking about what the landscape could end up looking like if a lot of these actors end up moving forward on their own in terms of the KIUC or others start breaking off for the grid and what that will mean for everyone. And what this means, I think, really, for a wahoo, the most populated island, law and need for electricity, what can we do? Can we be 2045? Maybe we can. Next, Hawaii's tallest building is to get an EV charging station. So in a way, it's a bit of a shame that this is news. But it is good news. So first, Hawaiian Center, the headquarters of Hawaii's largest bank and the tallest building in the state is getting an electric vehicle charging station according to PBN. First, Hawaiian Bank filed a $5,000 building permit Wednesday with the city and county of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting to install a new dual EV charging station at its Bishop Street office building. Wasa Electrical Services, Inc. is listed as the contractor for the project. Currently, there are only 12 EV charging stations in the downtown area, including at the Pacific Guardian Center, City Financial Tower, Central Pacific Plaza, Davy's Pacific Center, Topa Financial Center, and Bishop Square, according to the state's website. So again, I think it's fantastic news that we're going to have more spaces for EVs. But the fact that the downtown of the most populous city in the state only has a handful of charging stations I think really sort of highlights just a tremendous issue. I know that folks who want to be early adopters and use electric cars shouldn't have to plan their days and have to sort of sacrifice in their lives inconvenience in order to charge. And I know that a lot of people do that. So we need to have charging at workplaces. And we need to start having some larger scale projects than pilots that test out what happens, what you can do with all those electric cars that are theoretically at one time plugged in at a workplace or at an apartment building. We need to start leading on this. We really need to start leading on it, but fantastic. It's good that we're going to at least have one more. Again, so much news coming out of Hawaii this week, just tremendous amount of news. The next is that Hawaii is a US leader in storage. In rankings calculated by GTM Research for their cumulative 2016 edition of the Energy Storage Monitor, several states that are not California have broken onto the scene. California doesn't have anything to worry about in terms of losing the throne anytime soon. But the stronger showing from relative newcomers heralds the onset of a more geographically diverse industry. So for a while now, the top three markets for the various storage segments have been shuffled between California, the PGM interconnection, minus New Jersey, which is counted separately, and the catch-all term, all others, while Hawaii has made a strong mark in residential. So Hawaii holds the number three spot for cumulative residential power capacity, but Arizona unseated it for deployments in 2016. With 633 kilowatts, Arizona put up essentially half as much home storage as California last year. So Hawaii is a US storage leader, so I just thought that was worth talking about. I had a show where we talked about storage wars. We've just got companies on fire to show what they can do with their size, with their scale, with their products, and their relative footprints, be it Tesla on Kauai, BluePen and Energy, amongst others working on the Big Island, and a lot of folks looking to get into that storage market. So a lot of excitement and a lot of leadership from the state. So I think before we say goodbye, I'll just briefly talk a little bit about a story. Again, more reaction to the Trump era. Several states and green groups and environmentalists and consumer groups are indeed suing the Trump administration over its decision to delay the implementation of energy efficiency rules for appliances. So Trump proposed delaying the rules. And this is really like the bread and butter this is the place where the environmental groups and the consumer groups just sort of always come together. So several groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council where I used to work in New York, are going to court to fight for these rules. And I think we're going to see a lot more action from the NRDCs and others of this world that are going to be there trying to protect our interests in this new energy environment. And that takes us to the end of my show. Thank you so much for watching PowerPawaii. Join us next week, Mahalo and Aloha.