Keep the lights on with rooftop solar
Andy Blom wants the Hawaii Supreme Court to throw out the City of Honolulu’s lawsuit that aims to “punish” fossil fuel companies for causing climate change. He writes in his commentary (“Dear justices: Please keep the lights on,” June 9): “Hawaii residents rely on coal, oil, and gas for nearly 70% of their power. Petroleum products account for 80% of our energy consumption, the highest share of any state in the union. And even with that we have the highest energy costs in the nation, three times the average. Imagine our energy costs without fossil fuels.”
We can and must imagine a future with less dependence on fossil fuels, a more resilient power grid, lower energy costs, and less pollution! That future is rooftop solar on homes and businesses and more power storage facilities. Solar panels are less expensive than using fossil fuels for energy, and they produce all day long, year after year. Localized storage makes the grid more resilient by reducing massive grid failures.
Rooftop solar reduces a family’s energy cost, and it’s a good investment! Here’s a personal example. Our solar system cost $28,000, less the 30% federal tax credit, which equals $19,600. The $5,000 state of Hawaii tax credit brings the total cost to $14,600. We will save $200 per month, which is $2,400 per year.
If I took $14,600 and put it in a CD and got a return of $2,400 per year, that would mean I would make 17% return on my investment. And there are financing programs with banks or savings and loans, or you can use an equity credit line on your home.
Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority has loans at 5%. Plus, no more utility company price hikes, and the value of your home is increased. The monthly gird charge is only $28.66. Your energy costs and impact on the environment are reduced with rooftop solar.
A fairer net energy metering program could further reduce costs. This would mean that the Public Utilities Commission would require Hawaiian Electric to nearly triple the net energy rebate to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. Currently, HECO pays only 11 cents for every kilowatt-hour to solar owners that feed back to the grid and charges those same customers 45 kwh.
HECO customers are also unfairly billed in two ways: (1) We pay for electricity 100% generated by imported gasoline, with receive no credit for wind, solar or geothermal energy, and (2) customers pay the cost of construction for the wind or solar farms. We don’t need massive solar installations or wind farms that are ugly and require expensive land.
More storage facilities could be installed locally and help to decentralize the grid. If the grid went out in Kona, electricity would still be on in Waimea.
The time is now to wean Hawaii off of most fossil fuels. Funding from the lawsuit could help build a more resilient grid. If we are to achieve the goal stated in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Transition Initiative of 70% by 2030, significant headway can be made by increasing rooftop solar where it is needed — at our homes and businesses. The Public Utilities commission can increase the net energy metering reimbursement amount and build more storage facilities locally to make the grid more resilient.
Deb Hecht
Kailua-Kona