Electric Rates Punish EVs – Energy from Trash – Recycling Guide – Growth in Hawaii – Forecasting Balloons

BY PANOS PREVEDOUROS PHD –

HECO and her sisters “punish” electric cars in Hawaii:

• “In the U.S., the cost of electricity varies far more widely than the cost of gasoline, from a kilowatt-hour average of 8 cents in Washington State to 36 cents in Hawaii.
• Because of the variety of utility rates in the U.S., a 2011 Nissan Leaf that’s a bargain to drive in Washington — $28.29 for 1,000 miles — is pricey in Hawaii, where those 1,000 miles would cost $97.21.”
• Note to Legislature: By pushing unproductive “green” renewables you are pushing the KWh cost up. Please push for natural gas, geothermal, coal and waste-to-energy. These in turn will push KWh cost down!

Energy from Trash Should Be a Priority for Hawaii

• Maui should install a waste-to-energy plant and bring in trash from Big Island, Lanai and Molokai.
• Oahu should plan for another 100 MW of waste-to-energy (about half of it tuned to burn biomass, sludge and manure).
• Both Oahu and Maui should consider ordering a sophisticated Materials Recovery Facility to better sort waste.

Oahu Household Recycling

• Honolulu has the most expensive electricity rates among U.S. metro areas, by far.
• Oahu makes about 8% of its electricity from trash. It should plan to make 20% by 2020.
• Oahu generates thousands of tons of paper, plastic, and cardboard trash. This is free fuelfor the production of electricity. Instead of making power with it, we waste energy to bale it and ship it out. That’s nuts!
• These four slides explain what to recycle and what to throw in the trash.

Hawaii over the Past 20 Years: Minimal Change, Minimal Growth. What Should Hawaii Plan for?

• Decline followed by stability will be the trend.
• Send “visions” and mega-projects to the cemetery.
• Maintain, Replace, Modernize should be Priority 1.

Transportation and Energy Infrastructure Projects: Forecasting is Unnecessary

• Transportation infrastructure deployment lags demand by decades. Why do we need to forecast 20+ years into the future? The need is either present or not. Current data are the best quality data we have to analyze a proposed project.
• If high speed rail cannot make it in California of 38 million, then it cannot make it. Its proponents used forecasting to create demand balloons with California population at 50 million. But more people leave California than go to it!
• Rail cannot make it in Honolulu today. Its proponents used forecasting to create year 2030 demand balloons. But all one has to do is look at Honolulu’s minimal growth in the last 20 years, its poor business climate  and its bottom position in terms of economic production(and that was with a stellar Congressional seniority and the abundant pork that came with it, compared to the junior delegation we have now.)

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