Decentralized
power is not
just for politics

Net metering on Oahu and
Kauai is expected to help the
dispersal of power generation

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

Almost 200 people gathered at a Honolulu hotel this week to learn more about "distributed generation" of electricity.

Simply put, distributed generation means making power closer to where it is used, said Eileen Yoshinaka of the U.S. Department of Energy.

It could mean a 3-kilowatt system that powers one household, a 10-kilowatt system for a small business, or a much larger system that feeds a hotel or manufacturing plant.

The electricity could be made by photovoltaic cells or an internal combustion engine.

Or the electricity could be from a microturbine, a modified jet engine that stays put, or fuel cells, which run on stored hydrogen -- both of which are still being improved upon before mass marketing.

The power generator could be owned by the user, leased or provided by a utility.

As energy technologies develop, their prices are dropping and their efficiencies are improving, said Bob Parkins, with the U.S. Department of Energy's Western Area Power Administration. And because Hawaii has high power rates -- especially on Kauai and the Big Island -- the economics of going with distributed generation make more sense here than in other locations, Parkins said.

On the horizon is net metering -- the ability of customers with alternate energy sources to get credit from the utility company for excess power they feed back into the system.

State Rep. Hermina Morita (D, East Maui-North Kauai) told the gathering that net metering will be ready to go next week on Oahu and by Sept. 1 on Kauai.

Steve Burns, with ProVision Technologies, said some people are willing to pay a little more for solar power because they feel good about getting their energy from a nonpolluting source. He said his company, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., expects more orders for home photovoltaic systems with the net-metering option.

Gary D. Burch, with the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., said he is convinced that Hawaii has "some unique opportunities to take a leading role in distributed generation."

People registered at the two-day event at the Radisson Waikiki included many from its sponsoring organizations: the U.S. Department of Energy; the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Hawaiian Electric; Hawaii Electric Light Co.; Kauai Electric; Maui Electric; and the Gas Co. Also well represented were state and local governments, the military and a variety of local businesses.

Cully Judd of Inter-Island Solar Supply said he was glad to see the turnout. But after a recent trip to Western Europe, he is worried that "America is missing the boat."

He said with its large number of solar hot water heaters and relative isolation, Hawaii would be a great proving ground for more distributed generation.

"Eventually we have to get to a hydrogen economy (instead of one dependent on fossil fuels for engines), and the sooner the better," Judd said.