Former PUC chair Mina Morita took to her “Energy Dynamics” blog yesterday to blast Gov. David Ige’s bombshell announcement that his administration will seek to block attempts to import liquid natural gas as a bridge fuel in the transition to a 100% renewable energy system.
Morita called Ige’s announcement “dictatorial.”
This dictatorial pronouncement, I don’t know of any other way to describe it, defied the painstakingly and analytical efforts by numerous parties seeking solutions to accelerate clean energy transformation affordably by maximizing cost-effective renewable resources with more flexible and efficient fossil generation through this transition. The announcement was certainly contradictory to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission inclinations (see page 6-10) which, ironically, was cited numerous times in the merger docket by State agencies and other parties for its thoroughness and thoughtfulness in laying out a pathway for Hawaii’s energy vision.
Did the Governor and his advisors ever consider what this pronouncement will do to the business climate at a time when the entire energy (including all fuels) infrastructure will require significant investments to upgrade aging facilities and to meet environmental compliance?
Morita had a lot more to say. You can read it here.
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Am I the only person who finds it ironic that HECO throws out every excuse in the book (and then some) about dragging their feet when it comes to hooking residential PV systems to the grid,…. then do an about face on high demand days and beg customers to conserve power usage to avert outages. It seems to me that HECO’s priority now should be upgrading their grid and infrastructure to accommodate more PV systems, which theoretically should ease the burden on the oil powered generators. Morita is entitled to her opinion about the governor’s stance,… but in light of how many PV applicants have been treated by the utility, she might be in for a rude awakening if a public poll is taken among island homeowners about who’s viewpoint is more strongly supported. Her’s vs. Ige’s. I have the feeling that the latter would win out,… and by a larger margin than what he got against Abercrombie last year.
With all that said, LNG is a cleaner fossil fuel to run. And should it ever become apparent that Hawaii’s renewable energy sources are insufficient to meet the state’s demands, then LNG could very well be thrown into the mix. But at this point, we’re far, FAR from the point of maxing out the full potential of solar, wind, and geothermal energy in the islands.
Fully harnessing these natural energy sources should come first. What is there for Morita to argue about? Unless she has another agenda. Maybe one that is more in line with what HECO and/or Hawaii Gas Company wants.
Excellent observation by Morita:
How naïve is the statement “any time and money spent on LNG is time and money not spent on renewable energy.” Hawaii’s energy transformation requires a portfolio of resources and many initiatives to be pursued in parallel, not just renewable projects. We are talking a total energy system transformation to be done in the most affordable way possible. While we need to move on to an integrated systems approach the Governor and his advisors are stuck in linear thinking – we need leadership, collaboration, cooperation and action, not uninformed proclamations.
http://www.minamoritaenergydynamics.com/2015/08/a-dictatorial-pronouncement.html
http://puc.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Commissions-Inclinations.pdf
It is reasonable to speculate that the recent disappointment with the legislative initiatives to encourage a biomass ethanol industry here may be coloring Gov. Ige’s thinking re: LNG. But the case for liquified natural gas — either as a “bridge fuel” or a backup fuel for employing renewables — is a lot stronger than the ethanol alternative has ever been.
If our gracious host does not see fit to elaborate the “other side” of this debate, the link below does.
https://cleantechnica.com/2015/08/24/hawaii-governor-david-ige-drops-bomb-no-lng-on-his-watch/
“For a little backstory, Hawaii has been considering importing LNG as a “bridge” or “transitional” fuel to help us reduce our dependence on imported oil (right now, 75% or more of Hawaii’s electricity is produced by diesel generators). Ige pointed out that when the talk of LNG first started, proponents pointed out many potential benefits (reduced costs of fuel and less emissions than diesel, American made fuels, low cost of infrastructure retrofits, etc.).
Ige said that many of these assumptions, whether they were accurate at the beginning of the debate or not, are no longer accurate. He said that his administration has considered the costs of retrofitting or building new generating capacity based on LNG, and found that they didn’t make economic sense for Hawaii. He pointed out that there are many questions and considerations yet to be answered about the import of LNG including the harbor infrastructure and shipping needs. He specifically stated that he had no desire to put any of Hawaii’s communities through the protracted battles around LNG’s development, when realistically, there are simply better alternatives. He pointed out that while LNG may have some emission benefits, “It’s still a fossil fuel”. And, perhaps most pointedly, he pointed out that it will not help us to get to a 100% renewable future, and that every dollar spent on LNG infrastructure is a missed opportunity to spend that dollar developing Hawaii-based renewable energy, where all the money stays in Hawaii’s economy.”
I might add to all that,…
At a time when scientists are sounding the alarm on the consequences of climate change, now is not the time to plan “baby steps” in protecting the environment. Wake up, climate change doubters! Global temperatures are rising, with no sign of let up. Sea levels are rising, which are creating havoc with our local beaches. ScIentist criticized the recent G7 summit for agreeing to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2100, saying that it’s too little, too late. The governor is right on the mark by being planning aggressively for a 100% renewable energy future by 2045. We might not get all the way there, but we have to do everything we can to get to that goal as soon as possible. For the sake of future generations, we had better.
So if oil goes back above $80/barrel, will the decision have to flip again?
“Fully harnessing these natural energy sources should come first.”
I disagree. I think reducing our consumption should come first.
One example: A lot of energy is consumed running air conditioners, in many cases set so cold that building occupants keep jackets and sweaters at their desks. If we instead followed Bermuda’s example and adopted dress codes better aligned with our weather, we could drop our energy consumption more quickly than we could develop new energy sources, whether renewable or not.
“If we instead followed Bermuda’s example and adopted dress codes better aligned with our weather”
Nudist offices. Nothing gets done, but there’s definitely a work/life balance (as opposed to today’s bullshit work/life balance)
@zzzzzz:
Usually, you write sensible opinions. But on this one,…. boy, you’ve got one mother of a blindspot.
The key here isn’t merely “reducing” our use of fossil fuels, it’s to eventually eliminate them. Dressing up as Bermudians alone won’t do the trick.
Do you likewise say “nyah nyah nyah nyah, I can’t hear you” whenever someone bring up the topic of climate change?
“The key here isn’t merely “reducing” our use of fossil fuels, it’s to eventually eliminate them.
Engineer and others are forgetting that the perfect (an expensive “perfect” to boot) is the enemy of the best.