Gas-fired plants aren’t a solution
Gov. Josh Green was recently reported to be advocating for new gas-fired power plants to shore up Hawaiian Electric’s shortages. I feel this is counter-productive and excessively expensive.
Hawaii already has the highest electricity rates in the country because all fuel has to be shipped in. This would also not only help keep the rates high, it might well make them higher. Beyond that, it also impedes the state’s intent to get to zero carbon emissions.
Instead of new gas-fired power plants, what the state needs is grid-scale energy storage. Both Texas and California have implemented major storage systems for several years now, so this is beyond the prototype stage.
We already have an excess of solar power generation. Energy storage will give us the added power you need for evenings and nighttimes from the excess we already have during the day.
Grid-scale energy storage gets you directly on the path to zero carbon emissions using the development money you have now. It also has the potential to lower energy costs for everyone, unlike fossil fuels which can only increase costs.
If you put that money into gas-fired power plants, then you’re investing in a backwards solution and committing to more decades of fuel importation when the energy you need is already here.
My own favorite is the liquid metal battery system from Ambri. They cannot catch fire, have essentially no parts to wear out, and have a minimum 20-year lifespan.
Forty years ago, I worked at Pacific Gas &Electric as a load management analyst. Even then, PG&E was using pumped hydro to augment their system capacity, shifting excess power to those hours when it was best needed.
It is Gov. Green’s responsibility to lead Hawaii into the future, not into the past.
Russ Button
Pahoa
A call for better preschool programs
We must acknowledge the importance of early childhood education. It is the fundamental building block for a child’s future success and development.
On March 22, Hawaii News Now published an article about local families in Maui and Hawaii who protested in demand for higher-quality early childhood education.
Hawaii’s high cost of living has made it challenging for parents to provide their children with a proper education. The cost of children’s education is another struggle that Hawaii families have to deal with.
Many families have to rely on the state to provide for their basic needs, making them feel guilty for not being able to provide for their families using their wages.
Parents are frequently confronted with a heart-wrenching choice: pay their bills or provide their children with a high-quality education.
It is a stark reality that parents are compelled to delay their children’s education until they can afford it, a situation that is simply not acceptable.
We must urgently call for more funding and investments from our government to alleviate the burden on families who are in dire need of high-quality early childhood education.
By investing in quality preschool programs, we can ensure that every child, regardless of their family’s financial situation, has an equal opportunity to thrive. Early education not only enhances cognitive and social skills but also instills a love for learning.
It is high time for us to prioritize the well-being and growth of our youngest learners.
Lacey Magallanes
Pahoa