Hawaii renewable energy gets low grades

Hawaii’s use of renewable energy needs work, a recently released energy report indicates. The Network for New Energy Choices grades states’ policies for allowing homeowners and small-business owners who generate renewable energy to connect to the grid and receive credit for the energy the produce and gave Hawaii a "C."

The rating applied to Hawaii's net metering, the billing arrangement by which customers see savings from their own systems, such as photovoltaic power systems. Owners see a credit for the portion of electricity they generate. The grade indicates the state has adequate net metering rules, but also has significant fees or other obstacles that undercut the value or made the process of net metering more difficult.

Hawaii also received an "F" for its interconnection standards. In many states, customers who want to generate their own power must use an interconnection process to plug in to the grid. Hawaii was cited for not having interconnection standards above 100 kilowatts per hour. States that received “F” letter grades for interconnection standards had barriers to interconnection, according to the report.

Hawaii did, however, rank eighth among the top 10 states for solar power in 2007. California ranked first, with 58 percent of the market share. The full report is available online here.

Tori Richards invests $1.1 million in solar power

On the bright side, local company Tori Richard Ltd. is purchasing a $1.1 million photovoltaic system to supply almost all its needed power. The project is being installed by Suntech Hawaii and will include 682 modules on the roof of the Tori Richards headquarters on Moonui Street in Kalihi.

The 154 kilowatt system will provide for 94 percent of the company’s power needs and result in nearly 300,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and 4,356 fewer barrels of oil consumed over the life of the system.

"Going to a photovoltaic system was a huge commitment but also a natural step for us: not only does it help the environment, it significantly helps our bottom line," Josh Feldman, Tori Richard owner and CEO said in a statement. "The PV installation makes simple economic sense. Without significant cost savings, this would not be possible. We look forward to many more local businesses joining us in making the switch to alternative energy."

The company said it has already reduced power consumption by switching to low-e lighting, upgrading to more energy-efficient air-conditioning systems and installing reflective roof coatings.