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hunter

(40,696 posts)
42. The Hawaii power company seems somewhat beholden to the same oil companies...
Mon Oct 30, 2017, 02:16 PM
Oct 2017

... that refuel the jets bringing in tourists, and cargo haulers.

The electric company burned 8.5 million barrels of oil in 2016. That's a lot of $$$ and there's political pressure not to disrupt that business. The amount of oil burned to produce electricity is already declining, partly from more efficient electric appliances and lighting, partly from renewables.

There's nothing stopping anyone from installing solar panels on their roof in Hawaii, it's been about selling excess electricity to the power company, "making the meter run backwards," that upset the utility, even though the technology for maintaining grid stability is now mature... with some kudos to Germany's renewable energy experience.

The Hawaii state legislature is aiming for 100% renewable by 2045.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Electric_Industries

Hawaii, like other islands, seems an ideal place for electric vehicles powered by renewable energy. Range anxiety really isn't an issue when you can't drive that far. On the Big Island, it's 125 miles from Hilo to Kailuna-Kona on the other side of the island, via highway 11. The other Hawaiian islands are smaller than that. A 2017 Chevrolet Bolt has a range of 238 miles.

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Here I am in Northern Florida, wind blowing and sun shinning all day Stryst Oct 2017 #1
U.S. Drill baby drill and "clean coal" USA! USA! hibbing Oct 2017 #2
The iPad posting this reply runs completely off solar power. roamer65 Oct 2017 #3
Meanwhile the rest of the world advances with clean energy LiberalLovinLug Oct 2017 #4
Meanwhile in DC, our government is stalled by an excess of wind RainCaster Oct 2017 #5
Fukushima shadowmayor Oct 2017 #6
Money has a funny way of greasing the skids. Caliman73 Oct 2017 #28
No, Chernobyl was way worse. EX500rider Oct 2017 #40
You are correct ex-rider shadowmayor Oct 2017 #47
We have some wind turbines here in the San Francisco Bay Area in the Altamont Pass... iluvtennis Oct 2017 #7
Those ugly turbines littering the hillsides in the photo you posted are mostly dead now. hunter Oct 2017 #23
"Ugly", I'll just leave that there. nt iluvtennis Oct 2017 #24
"ugly" just like "dead" Eko Oct 2017 #35
Their are still thousands of dead 20th century wind turbines littering the hillsides of California. hunter Oct 2017 #38
How do you know they are dead? Eko Oct 2017 #41
Oh bother... hunter Oct 2017 #44
Thats interesting. Eko Oct 2017 #45
And from 2017. Eko Oct 2017 #46
Politically powerful people see the Altamont Pass wind turbines from the highway... hunter Oct 2017 #48
If this country was run properly not fooled Oct 2017 #8
You're right about that. If it doesn't mean ripping off the masses for huge profits, then forget it. YOHABLO Oct 2017 #12
Yep Cosmocat Oct 2017 #15
I looked at solar sarah FAILIN Oct 2017 #30
The government here should do not fooled Oct 2017 #31
Fukushima freaked all of Europe out. Merkel actually did something about it. DFW Oct 2017 #9
Isn't Germany down to 1 or 2 nuke plants left? KelleyKramer Oct 2017 #11
Still 8 left Ezior Oct 2017 #17
Thanks, that's amazing progress KelleyKramer Oct 2017 #19
I don't know how many are left on line, but they are disappearing rapidly DFW Oct 2017 #20
There's no way Germany can break it's dirty coal habit and remain a major industrial economy. hunter Oct 2017 #25
Deciding to phase out coal as a source for power plants WAS a rough choice. DFW Oct 2017 #32
Scrubbers were installed to control the smog. But the carbon dioxide remains. hunter Oct 2017 #34
Solar isn't irrational as long as it isn't overrated DFW Oct 2017 #37
All we get is a bunch of hot air world wide wally Oct 2017 #10
Speaking of Fukushima:Are millions of gallons of radio active waste still spilling into the Pacific? YOHABLO Oct 2017 #13
No, but they are talking about dumping it on purpose KelleyKramer Oct 2017 #14
And sometimes it even costs money to produce electricity... TomVilmer Oct 2017 #16
Battery farms. Once battery or solid state storage has developed enough, as Telsa is Fred Sanders Oct 2017 #21
meanwhile Duke energy onethatcares Oct 2017 #18
Why celebrate yet another major fault of wind energy? hunter Oct 2017 #22
dont bother responding to this person Eko Oct 2017 #36
Is the power company in Hawaii still blocking residential solar panels? Irish_Dem Oct 2017 #26
The Hawaii power company seems somewhat beholden to the same oil companies... hunter Oct 2017 #42
Thanks for the update. nt Irish_Dem Oct 2017 #43
Our private-enterprise electric utilities companies WILL NEVER LOWER CONSUMER COSTS, EVER!!! WinkyDink Oct 2017 #27
Hey, we were promised "electrical energy too cheap to meter" back in 1954. n/t PoliticAverse Oct 2017 #29
As long as the Snackshack Oct 2017 #33
Every structure in this country has a roof of some sort and they all face the sun. Vinca Oct 2017 #39
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