Sustainability

Choosing Molokai’s Energy Future

Friday, March 16th, 2018

Maui Electric has identified a four-way fork in the road to Molokai’s energy future. Last week, the utility presented several options to reach the goal of 100 percent renewable energy for the island in a series of island-wide community meetings.

A large-scale solar project with battery storage, proposed by Molokai New Energy Partners, a division of Half Moon Ventures (HMV), figures largely into those options. The project includes 37 acres of solar panels to be located next to Maui Electric’s Pala`au Power Plant. An agreement between HMV and Maui Electric was recently reached, and Maui Electric submitted the proposal to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for review last week.…

Posted in Business, Community, Community Development, Energy, Government, Sustainability

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Large-Scale Solar Moves Forward

Wednesday, February 14th, 2018

A large-scale solar and battery storage project on Molokai has moved one step closer to reality after an agreement was reached between Maui Electric and Molokai New Energy Partners, a division of Chicago-based renewable energy company Half Moon Ventures. The 2.7-megawatt project would supply 41 percent of the island’s electricity usage. It consists of 37 acres of solar panels on industrial land near Maui Electric’s Pala`au Power Plant and a three megawatt battery energy storage system. If all goes as planned, the project is anticipated to in service by the end of 2019, and would operate under a 22-year contract.…

Posted in Community, Community Development, Energy, Sustainability

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100% Renewable Energy for Molokai by 2020

Friday, April 7th, 2017

Hawaiian Electric Companies has rolled out a statewide plan that sets a goal for Molokai of 100 percent renewable energy by 2020. Over the next three years, the electric utility is proposing 1.4 megawatts (MW) of additional photovoltaic energy to be added to the island’s existing 2.3 MW of energy coming from rooftop solar panels, as well as 5 MW of wind energy. The plan also calls for a transition to biofuel for “some” of the island’s 12 MW of energy currently being generated from diesel fuel.

“Molokai will serve as a blueprint to increase the cost-effective use of renewables for the remainder of the state and help us obtain real–world experience in running an island grid with 100 percent renewable energy,” states the report, filed with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last December and recently presented at the fourth annual Maui Energy Conference.…

Posted in Business, Community, Community Development, Energy, Government, Sustainability

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`Aha Moku Advisory Seeks Feedback

Friday, November 20th, 2015

DLNR News Release

The `Aha Moku Advisory Committee (AMAC) has scheduled a series of public meetings this month to seek comment from communities in `ahupua`a districts as it develops and adopts rules for its operation and administration.

Created by the Legislature in 2012 via Act 288, the `Aha Moku Advisory Committee is attached to the State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and is mandated to bring the voices of the `ahupua`a communities forward to the Department on issues related to natural and cultural resources.

“AMAC may advise the DLNR on issues related to land and natural resources management through the ‘Aha Moku system of best management practices,” said Leimana DaMate, AMAC executive director.…

Posted in Agriculture, Community, Environment, Environment & Ecology, News Releases, Sustainability

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Homesteaders Remember their Roots

Wednesday, November 4th, 2015

When homesteaders first took up residence on Molokai lands, they had to start from the ground up. Families worked hard together to put in roads and set up large wooden tanks to catch the rainwater for drinking and farming. They combined labor and resources to sow crops and purchase farming equipment.

Ninety years later, Ho`olehua’s fertile lands are inhabited by their thriving descendants, who own homes, grow crops and use the infrastructure put in place by their ancestors.

Last week, the Ho`olehua Homestead Association remembered its history at the homestead’s 90th anniversary celebration. For three days at the Lanikeha Community Center, hundreds of homesteaders gathered to share generations of stories and snapshots of the first families who got the chance to restore both the land and their people.…

Posted in Agriculture, Community, Community Development, Environment, Government, Hawaiian Culture, History, Sustainability

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Homestead Gardening Program

Friday, October 16th, 2015

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves

The next round of the Hawaiian Homesteaders Gardening Program will start in late November. The purpose of this educational program is to increase homestead families access to fresh vegetables. Participants will be taught all aspects of establishing and managing a garden, and growing vegetables adapted to Molokai.

This program is open to all Hawaiian homesteaders residing on Molokai, and participation will be limited to 15 families. Classes will be held two to three times each month from 4:30 to 6 p.m., with occasional workshops. The choice of a Tuesday or Thursday meeting date will be determined by participants.…

Posted in Agriculture, Community, Education, Environment, Hawaiian Culture, Sustainability

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Molokai Island Energy Project Update

Friday, October 9th, 2015

Princeton Energy News Release

Aloha! Princeton Energy Group and Half Moon Ventures want to express our gratitude to the Molokai community for welcoming us once again with great hospitality and warmth this past May. It was wonderful to visit with old friends, as well as develop new relationships on the island, as we continue to work together as partners on the Molokai Island Energy Project (formerly known as Ikehu Molokai). We held extensive community meetings throughout the island and received valuable feedback from residents. We continue to believe that the Molokai Island Energy Project will be accomplished by a long-term collaboration between community groups, residents, and the planning team.…

Posted in Community, Community Development, Energy, Environment, News Releases, Sustainability

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Fuel for Thought: Molokai’s Gas Prices

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

Recently, many Hawaii residents have been breathing a sigh of relief at the gas pump. Across the state and the country, prices have dropped more than a dollar over the past year and are continuing to fall.

A year ago, gas prices in Hawaii averaged $4.21 cents a gallon, according to price-tracking website GasBuddy.com. Prices are now at $2.89. The average throughout the U.S. is even cheaper, as prices have tumbled from $3.34 to $2.29 a gallon within the last year.

On Molokai, prices are also declining, but the overall rates are more than a dollar more expensive than rates on neighboring islands.…

Posted in Community, Energy, Sustainability, Transportation

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Celebrating a Queen’s Love of Kalo

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

At last month’s Taro Field Day, Molokai residents celebrated cultural and agricultural traditions, harvested their own kalo to grown in their backyards, and participated in a prestigious cooking contest honoring a queen’s commitment to taro.

The annual event offers community members a chance to learn about and be a part of efforts to preserve dozens of historic taro species, as well as taste test poi and kulolo made from varieties grown here on Molokai at the UH Maui Community College Farm in Ho`olehua. Attendees could also venture into the field after receiving a labelled map to select and harvest plants of their favorite varieties.…

Posted in Agriculture, Community, Environment, Hawaiian Culture, History, Sustainability

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Molokai Joins Opposition to NextEra Merger

Wednesday, September 30th, 2015

Molokai residents voiced largely opposition two weeks ago to a proposed merger between Hawaiian Electric and NextEra, a Florida-based energy company. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is gathering public feedback on the proposed $4.3 million merger and will make a decision within the next six months. Molokai’s feedback, said Commission Chair Randall Iwase, has been in keeping with what they’ve heard so far around the state.

“The commission is not required to hold these sessions, but it was opinion of all three commissioners that it was important and appropriate to hear from the public,” said Iwase.

A majority of Molokai attendees testified that they opposed the merger.…

Posted in Business, Community, Energy, Environment, Government, Sustainability

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Sustainability

Choosing Molokai’s Energy Future

Large-Scale Solar Moves Forward

100% Renewable Energy for Molokai by 2020

`Aha Moku Advisory Seeks Feedback

Homesteaders Remember their Roots

Homestead Gardening Program

Molokai Island Energy Project Update

Fuel for Thought: Molokai’s Gas Prices

Celebrating a Queen’s Love of Kalo

Molokai Joins Opposition to NextEra Merger

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