KIUC Alternative Energy

SUBHEAD: Please attend the upcoming meetings to be held by KIUC on future alternative energy for Kauai. By Juan Wilson on 15 April 2011 for Island Breath - (http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2011/04/kiuc-alternative-energy.html) Image above: An electric motor/generator. If we cannot manufacture, maintain and repair small electric motors on Kauai, do we deserve electricity? From (http://www.electric-motors-price.info/electric-generator). Please attend the upcoming meetings to be held by KIUC on future alternative energy for Kauai. See details below. KIUC has some important meetings coming up. They say:

We're Coming to Your Neighborhood Please join us at our first quarterly update for 2011, where KIUC and FFP will talk about renewables and other initiatives at the co-op, and be available to answer questions. Free bag of rice, reusable shopping bag and CFL's for all members who attend. Please join us. Waimea Theatre Monday, April 18th 6-8pm Lihue Peace & Freedom Convention Hall Tuesday, April 19th 6-8pm Kilauea School Cafeteria Wednesday, April 20th 6-8pm

Free Flow Power (FFP), of Boston MA, created a sensation when they sought a permit to develop hydro-electric power on Kauai on their own in partnership with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Luckily, KIUC was able to intervene to the degree that they now have control the permitting, with FFP as their consultant. The issue now is how should any process of considering hydro-electric power generation on this island roll-out. Some think that it needs more input from the culture of Kauai and Hawaii. That's what the 'KIUC stop FERCing Kauai petition is all about that Adam Asquith has initiated. See (http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2011/04/stop-kiuc-fercing-kauai.html) Last night I attended an Apollo Kauai meeting to discuss the pursuit by KIUC to use FERC to streamline the implementation of multiple hydroelectric projects on Kauai. Their mission:

Promote energy efficiency and conservation and the use of appropriate renewable energy resources at the local and state levels through education, advocacy, demonstration and legislation to improve sustainability, livability and prosperity on Kaua‘i.

Adam Asquith made a presentation on the KIUC FERC process and its inherent conflict with Hawaiian water rights and culture. A continuation of involving FERC will generate endless lawsuits between the state of Hawaii and the federal government. He observed that FERC is primarily an agency that deals with inter-state issues related to power generation. Hawaii (through a bill introduced in 1999 by Danial Akaka) "to exempt Hawaii from FERC licensing of hydropower projects on the state's rivers... (As) there is little basis for federal control over hydropower projects in Hawaii since we have no interstate rivers or navigable rivers that are eligible for FERC regulation." (http://akaka.senate.gov/press-releases.cfm?method=releases.view&id=592d716d-c151-4ebd-aabc-41dff0ed1a9f) In his presentation Adam also noted if we were culturally akami that: "Where can we develop hydro-electric electric resources?" is the wrong question. Hawaiians would ask is: "Where is the water Kane? - At the eastern gate where the sun comes in at Haehae; there is the water of Kane." And would look first to what was the right thing for the water. But I think the unstated underlying assumption at the table was to continue the high levels of consumption we see today with "clean alternatives". Those at the meeting all acknowledged that we will not have cheap oil much longer, but consensus seemed to be commitment to spending whatever money and effort was needed to keep the 21st century lit up and glowing. Isn't that priority Number One? My question to the group present was this"

"Would you continue to live on Kauai if it was not electrified?"

If your answer is no you might want to make plane reservations while you still can. I believe that at the core we have to be willing to live without 20th and 21st century before we can lead forward to where we will be heading. There are few, if any, high-tech, large-scale, centralized solutions to the problems we face here on Kauai; whether we are talking about such problems as over development, unemployment, energy, or food and water distribution. The USA and its individual states have entered a realm of insolvency that will be protracted and render them nearly useless to local communities. This sate of affairs will outlive us all. Today the price of oil hovers around $110 a barrel. That's over 250% higher than the price of oil two years ago in the aftermath of the financial crash that leas to the Great Recession. Nothing but another economic crash (demand destruction) will keep oil passing the peak price of $147 a barrel we reached in the summer of 2008 . Among other contributing factors is the unrest in the Middle East, plus the increased demand of India and China will insure upward pressure on the cost of oil. We know from experience that energy cost near $150 a barrel is the upper limit on the continuity of the lives we live today. At $150 a barrel for oil there will be a collapse of economic growth, tourism, commercial airlines, interstate trucking, big box stores, and packaged food distribution. There also won't be economic support for cellphone networks or internet services, or telecommunications by cable or satellite tv. Who would underwrite such extravagances without the necessary advertising and corporate subsidies that are only supported by universal consumerism? Here on Kauai we must look at what are likely future situations and make appropriate investments to enhance our self reliance. We must be honest with ourselves. If access to and from the mainland (and for that matter Oahu) is degraded what will we have to do so as to achieve the best sustainable quality of life available? In my opinion we cannot rely on large mainland third party providers for food, water and energy. KIUC continues in the hallucination that they have a couple of decades to get us off the oil teat. In that effort they are planning for large centralized programs that they themselves cannot provide or maintain. In the case of hydro power just look at the sorry history of state and county efforts to maintain dams and levees in Hawaii. The investments by KIUC should be geared towards short term goals, as financial collapse may cut-off long term plans before they are realized. Efforts should be made to put in place shops for fabricating and maintaining small scale windmills, generators and village scaled power transmission systems. That means having the local capability to:

• Fabricate small windmill towers from angle stock with nuts and bolts.
• Wind our own electric generators from copper wire and stock steel.
• Use on island labor and engineering to generate power from existing ditches.
• Manufacture and repair DC-AC power inverters for homes and small businesses.
• Finance homeowner conversions to rooftop solar voltaic systems.

See also: Ea O Ka Aina: KIUC & FFP Waimea Meeting 4/19/11 Ea O Ka Aina: KIUC & Touchstone Energy 4/19/11 Ea O Ka Aina: Up on the Roof 4/19/11 .