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Energy

Molokai’s Energy Coop Selects Developer

Wednesday, January 20th, 2021

Ho‘ahu Energy Coop News Release

Ho‘ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai invites you to join us for our first virtual workshop of 2021 on Saturday, Jan. 23, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

At this workshop you’ll have a chance to hear about the coop’s two important milestones over the last month: applying for incorporation for the cooperative and selecting an additional energy development partner. We also need your input on important upcoming decisions about our project proposal including:

Subscription model: setting goals and guidelines for who can sign up to save money on their energy bills from the project and

Physical project design: deciding where the project will go and what it will look like.…

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Last Workshop of the Year for Energy Coop

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

Shake Energy Collaborative News Release

On Saturday, Dec. 19, from 9 to 10:30 a,m., we will host a virtual public meeting to further our progress on designing renewable energy on Molokai to be locally owned and operated by a newly forming Molokai Renewable Energy Cooperative.

This will be our last meeting of the year as a group and it will be a fun one! We will review our progress to date including physical project design, partner company selection and coop formalization and naming.

We will also join in a couple of fun design activities! If you want to receive a design kit, please contact us as soon as possible.…

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NPS Seeking Kalaupapa Electrical System Improvements

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

KNHP News Release

The National Park Service (NPS) is requesting input and manaʻo on options to rehabilitate the existing electrical system at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and the Kalaupapa Settlement. At this time, the park is initiating a 45-day public scoping period in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

The current electrical system at the park was installed in 1969 and is owned by State of Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) and the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. An overhead power line, owned by the Maui Electrical Company (MECO), follows the Kalaupapa trail and terminates at the 300kVA MECO-owned substation on the Kalaupapa peninsula; the existing overhead system is tied in and managed by the NPS.…

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Community Solar Proposals Take Shape

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

By Dayanti Karunaratne, Community Reporter

It is an exciting time for renewable energy on Molokai as the community awaits details of what will be the island’s biggest ever solar energy project. Unlike past solar projects that involve in-stalling rooftop panels on private property, this project will involve the building of a large solar plant to generate energy — and reduce electricity bills.

Projects under the Community-Based Renewable Energy Program (CBRE) platform, set up by Hawaiian Electric (HE) and approved by the Public Utilities Commission, will be selected through a bidding process called a Request for Proposals (RFP). The CBRE model involves a “community solar” installation that allows customers who cannot put solar panels on their roof to still reap the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy.…

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Hawaiian Electric Proposes Shared Solar for Molokai

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

Hawaiian Electric News Release

Hawaiian Electric’s proposal to launch shared solar or Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE) programs and projects on Molokai and Lanai featuring solar photovoltaic (PV) paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be the topic at separate community meetings. In consideration of the pandemic safety precautions, both meetings will be held virtually, Dec. 2 and 3 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., on webex.com.

For the Molokai meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 2, callers can dial 1-844-992-4726 (Toll-Free) and enter WebEx meeting number: 146 449 2132, Password: 2qqQjCYmr52

The live format will include a presentation by company officials followed by audience questions.…

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Electric Outage Map Now on Mobile App

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

Hawaiian Electric News Release

Maui County customers can now retrieve outage information, receive outage alerts and see outages mapped on Maui, Molokai and Lanai from the Hawaiian Electric mobile app.

Available in the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores, the Hawaiian Electric mobile app is free and can be downloaded on a phone or tablet.

From the app, customers can view a Google map of Maui County and zoom in for details on reported outages in specific areas. Users with the geolocation feature activated on their mobile device can also see information on outages near their location.

The app also enables users to view and pay their electric bill, receive notifications, look for electric vehicle charging stations and move or stop service.…

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True Community Based Renewable Energy at Stake

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

MREC News Release

As you may know by now, Hawaiian Electric, as required by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), is planning to seek proposals for their “Phase 2” Community Based Renewable Energy (CBRE) project on Molokai in early 2021. The timing of the CBRE request for proposal is an opportunity for Molokai to formalize its own grassroots cooperative and compete for a project that will reduce our reliance on diesel generated electricity, improve grid resiliency, and bring support and relief to our overburdened rate payers.

Molokai community members have joined together to create Molokai Renewable Energy Cooperative (MREC) and are preparing to submit the coopʻs first project, a 2.75 megawatt solar plus battery project, which could meet the electric needs of 1000 households.…

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Renewable Energy Cooperative Workshop

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Shake Energy Collaborative News Release

On Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., we will host a virtual public meeting to further our progress on designing renewable energy on Molokai to be locally owned and operated by a newly forming Cooperative.

At this meeting, we will host second round interviews for energy development companies that are interested in partnering with the cooperative and co-developer, Shake Energy Collaborative. We interviewed six companies at our last meeting on Saturday, Oct. 24. After review, we invited the best fit companies back for a more in-depth conversation on Nov. 7.

If you would like to attend this virtual public meeting, please reach out to Ali Andrews, CEO of Shake Energy Collaborative, at ali@shake-energy.com.…

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Workshop for Renewable Energy Cooperative

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Shake Energy News Release

On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 to 11 a.m., Shake Energy will host another virtual public meeting to further our progress on designing renewable energy projects on Molokai to be locally owned and operated. This follows in a series of community workshops hosted on Molokai about Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE). These meetings are held regularly every two weeks to continue the effort to formalize this energy cooperative and design the projects it will own and operate.

At the meeting this weekend, we will be hosting interviews from energy development companies that are interested in partnering with us to submit our bids to Hawaiian Electricʻs Request for Proposals (RFP) for Phase II CBRE projects on Molokai.…

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Aerial Electric Line Inspections

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Hawaiian Electric News Release

As part of efforts to maintain reliable service, Hawaiian Electric will be using a helicopter to perform routine power line inspections on Molokai on Thursday, Oct. 29 and Maui on Friday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Dates and locations are subject to change depending on weather.

Routine aerial inspections of Hawaiian Electric’s equipment, including electrical lines, poles and substations, are necessary to maintain stable and reliable electrical service for the Maui County community.

For questions about this work, the public can contact Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Service Center at 871-9777.…

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