Our Side of
The Story
Our Side of
The Story
KARL KIM of the University of Hawaii writes in the April 3 Star-Bulletin, "No one wants blackouts or to experience the problems that California has faced." His article, however, is a prescription for how to put Hawaii in the precarious situation that confronts California. New power line
will prevent a ‘California
crisis’ hereThe Washington Post recently published an article titled, "The Next Power Crisis." The article says that lack of transmission lines is contributing to California's power shortages and that the nation is facing a major problem with insufficient transmission capacity.
This information is important, because Kim suggests that "other states" are using technologies "to avoid installation of costly overhead lines." If there are cost-effective alternatives to high-voltage transmission lines, why hasn't California used them successfully to solve its transmission problems?
Kim goes on to suggest that "In Hana, Maui, the National Tropical Botanical Garden is constructing a hydrogen-powered fuel cell instead of extending a new transmission line."
This sounds good. But this would be a first-of-a-kind project that is in the request-for-proposal stage, not under construction. The high cost of hydrogen and the infancy of commercial fuel cell technology pose enormous challenges.
FURTHERMORE, if the project is built, it would be for one remotely situated customer. Suggesting that the project would eliminate the need for a transmission line is like comparing a driveway to the H-1 Freeway.
This example creates false expectations that would place at risk the safety and security of many of the residents and businesses of Hawaii.
The suggestion that HECO is not supporting new and applicable technologies is wrong. For example, we are No. 1 in the nation in the development of residential solar water-heating as a result of our promotion programs and rebates to homeowners. And we've built many research-and-development photo-voltaic projects that, given today's costs, are better suited for remote, off-grid applications or require substantial subsidies.
We agree with Karl Kim that self-sufficiency is critical to our island life. Unlike the mainland, we can't count on other states to help us when there is a power problem. We have to depend on ourselves. That's why we are proposing the Kamoku-Pukele line. It is a difficult, but necessary, choice.
False expectations, even when well-intended, don't solve the problem. Constructing the line will.
Chris Shirai is vice president for
energy delivery of the Hawaiian Electric Co.