Energy

“The next round of high prices is likely to start later this year, as crude rebounds to the $80s and $90s, perhaps pushing to the $100 level by late in the year or early next.”

“It is critically important to address energy concerns and propose effective local solutions this legislative year because of HECO's acquisition offer from Florida-based company, NextEra,” said Rep. Thielen....

...if prices stay this low, it will take up to four months before electricity prices fully reflect the drop in oil prices....

Power fluctuations from a first large plant installed in 2012 have already largely burned out the big batteries....

Any program changes from this proposal would apply only to new customers....

This agreement provides NextEra Energy Resources with long-term access rights to PRFT lands to develop renewable energy derived from PRFT's wind resources....

The drop in crude oil prices from $112/ barrel in June of 2014 to $46/barrel today will, if sustained, provide a nice boost to Hawaii’s economy....

Doug Chin is former managing director for the City and County of Honolulu.  Randy Iwase was Supervising Deputy Attorney General whose division provided legal counsel to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Public Utilities Commission....

State land records show the couple illegally built two bed and breakfast units and operated the lucrative business for more than a decade in a conservation district in Hanalei....

Top concerns include the state economy, education, the Hawaii Health Connector, oversight of the Public Utilities Commission in light of the Hawaiian Electric Industries/NextEra merger, and positively affecting the cost of living for Hawaii residents....

She previously told PBN that she would like to continue as chair....

The board of directors and management of NEE became more familiar with HEI through NEE’s involvement with energy projects in Hawaii in 2011....

A Hawaii solar state of the union from Marco Mangelsdorf....

"...its biggest proposal in the Aloha state is a $600 million cable project...."

...the production tax credit (PTC) gives wind companies 2.3 cents for every kilowatt-hour of electricity they produce....

There are at least two class action suits filed against the HEI-NextEra merger....

In Hawaii, its power company is trying to get a $55 fixed monthly charge, which is double its current fee....

...leasing solar panels from a third party may be a harmful investment for homeowners....

...The study examines environmental costs for cars' entire life cycle, including where power comes from and the environmental effects of building batteries....

NextEra paid just $88 million in taxes on earnings of nearly $7 billion. That’s a tax rate of just 1.25 percent when the statutory rate is 35 percent....

Deal after deal has fallen through...The Entergy Merger Failure....The Constellation Energy Merger Failure....

“It takes a lot of energy to extract and process solar-grade silicon,” says co-author Seth Darling. “And in China, that energy tends to come from dirtier and less efficient energy sources...."

The average price of the seven new solar projects is 14 cents per kilowatt-hour....

“Florida is not known for rooftop solar. It’s known for utility scale projects,” said Leslie Cole-Brooks, executive director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association....

“With this new contract, Hawaiian Electric will be purchasing approximately half our production volume...."

NextEra Energy, Inc. and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. today announced a definitive agreement under which the companies have agreed to combine....

For over a year, Hawaiian Electric has been claiming that the "green infrastructure fee" now beginning to appear on electric bills statewide is not a rate hike....

...Managing their own demand in response to utility requests is another way for customers to save on their electric bills while supporting more clean energy....

...to address operational issues associated with high degrees of distributed solar penetration on electrical grids....

The team estimates the new system will reduce electricity usage by more than all of the utility scale photovoltaic systems currently operating in Hawaii....

Democratic leaders in Washington should put job creation ahead of the ravings of environmental wing-nuts and their deep pocketed billionaire funders....

SunEdison to become world's largest renewable energy development company....

...far-reaching energy, trade and security implications....

...to estimate the impacts of Hawaii importing LNG for use in the electric sector....

"Distributed generation poses a threat under traditional ratemaking...."

A $150M Hawaii subprime lending scheme is receiving an “AAA-“ rating from Fitch because repayment is guaranteed by a surcharge on your electric bill....

...approved for interconnection after meeting the following conditions....

The renewable mandates make Hawaii more unaffordable and the mothballed interisland cable is yet another boondoggle....

“Solar energy comes and goes. You need something fast to fill the gaps.”

...in nine of the 10 states most reliant on wind power, electricity prices are rising at least five times faster than the national average....

...the UH survey did not ask about Natural Gas....

“All solutions which lower the cost of energy must be on the table,” said Aiona....

Under the current rate structure, DG providers are providing “cheap” electricity while consuming “expensive” electricity....

...The wind production tax credit, a generous $23 per-megawatt-hour tax credit the producer receives for 10 years, expired last year....

A Green Infrastructure Fee, which was previously approved by the PUC, will be used to secure the bonds....

...up to 200 megawatts of energy storage for Oahu....

...Leeds is pushing $500 a month with no way out for the next two decades....

...video surveillance cameras watch bats flying at night near wind turbines....