Energy

Take, for example, public discussion surrounding the potential merger of HECO and NextEra....

PUC Chairman Randy Iwase seems confident that the ruling will stand....

...PV already installed on a home is worth about $4,000 more than the median value of a PV permit....

...they came to a written agreement that meets the needs of current and future members of the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ bargaining unit and strongly adheres to the core values of the IBEW....

NextEra reported that long-time Abercrombie confidant, Senator Brian Schatz and aide Josh Handleman, had a meeting on April 7, 2014 at NextEra Energy Headquarters in Juno Beach, Florida....

Customers with a current NEM agreement and those with valid pending applications submitted prior to Oct. 13, 2015 will continue under the NEM program....

...politicians have thrown out alternative ownership models for the transaction....

...allow customers to buy an interest in electricity generated by community renewable projects in diverse locations on their home islands without installing anything on their own roofs....

There were at least 250 people there....

...customers in deregulated states and areas can shop around for electric plans....

The program will offer a 25 percent discount on standard electric rates from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. That’s a reduction of about 8 cents from the September kilowatt hour rate of 31 cents....

...whether SunEdison abused its position as the controlling shareholder of TerraForm in order to advance its own interests at the expense of TerraForm and its minority shareholders....

In 2014, the utility company’s non-solar customers paid an extra $53 million in operating and maintenance costs because of residents adding rooftop solar systems....

...the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission confirmed the companies' view that the merger presents no likelihood of potential anticompetitive effects in Hawai'i....

...let’s look at the tax-related conditions that are being proposed....

...the era of low American natural gas prices could extend for decades....

...in 2012, we reported that the State had issued and was responsible for reimbursing nearly $1 billion in tax credits; however, approximately three years later, we found that this obligation has nearly doubled, to almost $2 billion....

Lighting the Way III: The Top States that Helped Drive America’s Solar Energy Boom in 2014....

"The only model we have in Hawaii is Kauai Island Utility and its rates are among the highest in the State and nation."

...more than forty state and county leaders representing all islands -- including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents....

Paper and cardboard should go to H-Power....

...four Democrats from solar-rich states, have voiced concern that solar installation companies are engaging in deceptive marketing in order to attract new customers....

"NextEra Energy Commits to Keeping Hawaiian Electric Locally Managed"

...Ige's LNG Edict was delivered August 24--three days after this ratings outlook from Moody's....

The U.S. already leads the world in carbon emissions reduction thanks to the increased use of natural gas obtained through fracking....

...if oil prices rise dramatically in the coming years, some will say why didn’t we invest in LNG....

... Hu Honua is #1 ....

The judge determined that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act when it issued 30 year permits to wind-energy companies without first conducting an environmental-impact assessment....

...light winds have limited production from the two wind farms on the North Shore....

...renewables have a low capacity factor because their power sources are dependent on the elements....

Calls Purported Benefits Illusory and Inadequate....

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has set formal evidentiary hearings and public listening sessions on NextEra Energy Inc.’s $4.3 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Electric Co., according to public documents....

...at home using electricity from the grid will be most expensive during peak electricity demand from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.....

All low-carbon electricity generation technologies, including renewables, energy efficiency, natural gas, nuclear and carbon capture and storage, can play a role in state plans....

...an economic study for commissioned by the state recommends Hawaii raise taxes on gasoline by $.85 per gallon....

...What matters is whether the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative is delivering the CO2 reductions which for many justify the increased expense.  The answer is no.....

2015 may go down in the books as the year support for renewable energy died....

Residential customers now pay roughly $0.17/kWh for fixed costs....

...fuel taxes are "highly regressive," meaning that they hurt the poor the most....

"...will instead concentrate on the PUC's pending Power Supply Improvement Plan (PSIP) docket, which is better suited to address transformational planning issues...."

Since October, 2014 more than 15,000 applications have been approved to install or interconnect....

Each month, this customer will receive credit for a share of the electricity output of the community solar facility and pay a small maintenance fee, in total reducing the customer’s electric bill by about 45 percent....

KIUC has also heard complaints from members who are now paying more for their rooftop solar than their previous electric bill....

...the threat of losing NEM has led some in the PV industry down the path of hyperbole, exaggeration and self-interested fear-mongering....

The average monthly consumption of electricity per housing unit in Louisiana is triple that in Hawaii....