Governor’s goal is to have 70 percent from renewables by 2030
October 30, 2008
Hawaii’s largest utility signed onto plans for a future filled with renewable energy, electric cars and stable power supplies as the islands strive to become energy independent.
Hawaiian Electric Co. and Gov. Linda Lingle inked an agreement earlier this month to move the state away from dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and ground transportation.
But some of the biggest ideas in the deal — including expensive undersea power cables to move wind-generated energy between the islands — lack funding or even cost estimates for how they’ll become reality.
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a major step for Hawaiian Electric, said Connie Lau, chairwoman of the board of directors for the utility, which powers Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.
"This is a historic moment for all of us, and it really does take us far beyond what our companies have done historically," Lau said. "(It) will protect our customers in the long run from these severe fluctuations in oil prices."
Goal: 70 percent renewable by 2030
The goal is to create 70 percent of Hawaii’s energy use from clean energy sources by 2030. Currently, the state gets about 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources.
The accord seeks to make renewable energy easier to use by integrating it into the power grid.
Under the agreement, Hawaiian Electric commits to not build any new coal plants, integrate up to 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy into the power grid and convert existing fossil fuel generators to biofuels using locally grown crops.
"We don’t have years and years anymore to make these changes," Lingle said. "These are not hopes or dreams or wishes, these are our specific plans that we hope to achieve."
The undersea cables, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, would link potential wind farms on Lanai or Molokai to population centers on Maui and Oahu.
It’s unclear exactly where the money will come from. Private companies could step in, the state may pursue revenue bonds, or Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, could seek federal funds.
‘Most vulnerable’ state
Inouye said it’s essential that Hawaii emphasize its energy independence efforts because of the state’s isolation and the steady long-term rise of oil prices.
"It’s not going to be easy, but we must do it, because of all the 50 states in the union, our state is the most vulnerable," Inouye said. "We have no fossil fuels, so we have to manufacture our own energy."
Additional parts of the plan call for:
- Creating incentives to encourage adoption of electric vehicles.
- A requirement that 40 percent of electric power come from renewable sources by 2030. An additional 30 percent of clean energy savings would come from consuming less and using power more efficiently.
- Changing the way Hawaiian Electric is compensated by moving away from a business model that relies on increased electric sales.
- Making it easier for customers to get credits for electricity contributed to the power grid from home solar or wind systems.
The agreement stems from the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership between the state and the federal Department of Energy launched in January with the goal of making Hawaii a model for how the United States can become energy independent.
The state is working separately with Kauai Island Utility Cooperative on similar proposals.
Electric bikes provide greener commute
August 17, 2008
When Honora Wolfe and her husband moved to the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, she wanted an environmentally friendly way to commute to her job as a bookshop owner in the city.
Ed Poor rides an eZee Quando II electric bike to work in New York City.
Wolfe, 60, found her solution about a month ago: an electric bicycle. It gets her to work quickly, is easy on her arthritis and is better for the environment than a car.
“I’m not out to win any races,” she said. “I want to get a little fresh air and exercise, and cut my carbon footprint, and spend less money on gas. And where I live, I can ride my bike seven months out of the year.”
The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are flying off the racks.
Official sales figures are hard to pin down, but the Gluskin-Townley Group, which does market research for the National Bicycle Dealers Association, estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2007, up from 6,000 in 2006.
Bert Cebular, who owns the electric bike and scooter dealership NYCeWheels in New York, said his sales are up about 50 percent so far this year over last. Amazon.com Inc. says sales of electric bikes surged more than 6,000 percent in July from a year earlier, in part because of its expanded offerings.
“The electric bikes are the next big thing,” said Frank Jamerson, a former General Motors Corp. executive turned electric vehicle guru.
They’re even more popular in Europe, where Sophie Nenner, who opened a Paris bike store in 2005, says motorists boxed in by traffic jams are looking for an alternative for short journeys that doesn’t involve navigating overcrowded transport systems.
Industry associations estimate 89,000 electric bikes were sold in the Netherlands last year, while 60,000 power-assisted bikes were sold in Germany.
The principle behind electric bikes is akin to that behind hybrid cars: Combine the conventional technology — in this case, old-fashioned pedaling — with a battery-powered motor.
The net result is a vehicle that rides a bit like a scooter, with some legwork required. Most models have a motorcycle-like throttle that gives a boost while going up hills or accelerating from a stop. On some models, the motor kicks in automatically and adjusts its torque based on how hard the rider pedals.
Although regulations vary by state, federal law classifies electric bikes as bicycles, and no license or registration is required as long as they don’t go faster than 20 mph and their power doesn’t exceed 750 watts.
Price largely determines weight, quality and battery type. A few hundred dollars gets you an IZIP mountain bike from Amazon with a heavy lead-acid battery. For $1,400, you can buy a 250-watt folding bike powered by a more-powerful, longer-lasting nickel-metal hydride battery like those in a camera or a Toyota Prius. At the high end, $2,525 buys an extra-light 350-watt model sporting a lightweight lithium-ion battery similar to a laptop’s. Most models can go at least 20 miles before plugging in to recharge.
Joe Conforti, a commercial film director from New York, uses a four-year-old model designed by former auto titan Lee Iacocca in the 1990s for running errands or getting to social occasions.
“It’s really nice,” said Conforti, who is eagerly looking to upgrade to a newer, more powerful ride. “If you’ve got a date, you go to meet friends — you go out on a (conventional) bike, you’re gonna sweat up. You go out in an electric bike, it’s great it’s terrific, you’re not gonna sweat up and you ride home fine.”
Bike dealers said the growing demand goes beyond just the uptick in gas prices, but also because of word of mouth. Cebular said business at his store and on his Web site has been booming.
“Fifty percent of that increase is probably because of gas prices, and the rest is that there’s just more bikes out there,” said Cebular, who has run his shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for seven years.
Improved technology also has made electric bikes more popular, Cebular said.
“When I started, there was only one bike that had a nickel-metal hydride battery — everything else was lead-acid and was 80 or 90 pounds,” he said. “That’s a huge improvement.”
Jay Townley, a partner at Gluskin-Townley, said the latest electric bikes are sleeker, better looking and hide their often-clunky batteries better than ever. That goes a long way to attract baby boomers and other mainstream customers.
“The new designs that we’ve seen in the marketplace are going to inure to the benefit of the electric bike companies,” he said.
Ultra Motor, an England-based electric bike and scooter company, is betting big that it can capitalize on what it seems as a growing market for attractive-looking two-wheelers designed specifically for U.S. commuters. The company on Tuesday unveiled its “A2B” model, a slick, low-riding electric bike.
Ultra Motor took a conventional bicycle and redesigned it with fatter wheels, a lower center of gravity and a thick shaft designed to hide the lithium-ion battery inside, U.S. Chief Executive Chris Deyo said. The result is a cross between a motorcycle and a mountain bike.
The company already has signed up 75 dealers nationwide to sell the $2,500 bike starting next month.
“A year ago, when you mentioned the word electric bike, people looked at you and they really weren’t sure what it was,” Deyo said. “Today, what we’re finding is we’re actually having dealers call us seeking an electric bike to meet the demand.”
Jamerson, the former GM executive who has become a staunch advocate for electric transportation, believes this is only the beginning for electric bikes. He retired from GM in 1993 after helping develop the company’s EV1 electric car, and he’s been an avid follower of alternative transportation ever since.
The EV1 project, though widely seen as a spectacular failure, helped convince Jamerson of the value of electric transportation. Given soaring fuel prices and thinning patience with foreign dependence on oil, Americans are ready to embrace electric vehicles, he said.
“Did you know there are 70 million electric bikes on the road today in China, and they are selling at the rate of 2.6 million electric bikes a year?” he said. “The public at large needs to understand that it is the right thing to do to move to electric transportation, and electric bikes and electric scooters will allow you to do that, to get that familiarity.”
As for Wolfe, she could not be happier with her bike, a 48-pound mountain bike with a lithium-ion-powered assist made by California-based IZIP. A self-described “tree-hugger for decades,” she drives her Honda Insight hybrid car or rides the bus when she’s not using her bike to get to work.
It’s part of her own personal campaign to reduce her carbon footprint. She also powers her home with help from a set of rooftop solar panels, and a geothermal furnace heats and cools it.
The furnace, she adds, even heats her water. Just one more way to reduce emissions, she said.
“Even my 92-year-old mother has a Prius,” she said. “So I come by my green credentials genetically.”
Soon, you’ll need 3 to take Zipper Lane
June 24, 2008
In hopes of rewarding carpoolers with faster morning commutes, the state is increasing the number of people required in vehicles driving on the H-1 Freeway Zipper Lane
Honda goes greener with emission-free sedan
June 17, 2008
American Honda Motor Co. snared the Union of Concerned Scientists’ biennial award for greenest automaker in America in 2007 — for the fourth time in a row.
Nice run. But unlike many automakers dabbling in greener product, Honda is already moving on to phase two, with cars such as its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell sedan, which is emission-free.
The Future of GM: Live Green, Or Die
June 15, 2008
In April of 2005, General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. convened his management team for a monthly strategy session. Held in the boardroom at GM’s Detroit headquarters, these meetings can last a day as 20 or so executives mull plans for new cars and product strategies.
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