Rooftop solar
Did you know that almost a third of Hawaii’s single-family homes have rooftop solar panels now? On May 30, the New York Times published an interesting article featuring one Honolulu woman who decreased her home’s electricity bill from more than $500 a month to only $26 — by installing solar panels and battery storage packs and then recouping most of her costs through state and federal tax credits.
The article discussed how Hawaii has moved from its public utilities fighting rooftop solar to encouraging the use of such small-scale energy systems. The writer did a good job outlining why the state, where we currently pay almost three times the national average for electricity, is now encouraging rooftop solar panels.
Affordable energy for everybody is our goal at Sustainable Energy Hawaii, the grassroots nonprofit where I’m chairman of the board. We aim to raise public awareness and the political will to dramatically increase this island’s capacity for renewable energy, especially geothermal. We want to improve the quality and security of life for Hawaii Island residents by helping the state transition to 100% clean, locally sourced, renewable energy and help create a thriving hydrogen economy.
Hawaii’s electricity rates, already high, jumped 34% in April compared to the year before because so many of our power plants rely on oil, a third of which we’d been buying from Russia. Last year, oil-fueled power plants supplied almost two-thirds of Hawaii’s electricity. That’s down from nearly three-quarters a decade earlier. We’re on the right track for a state that has mandated all its electricity must come from renewable sources by 2045. But there’s still a long way to go.
If you’d like to know more about Sustainable Energy Hawaii, our efforts, and how you can help, you can enter your email at sustainableenergyhawaii.org, and we’ll send you occasional updates.
Richard Ha
Chairman, Sustainable Energy Hawaii
‘Be a miracle’
In 2010, my son’s life was saved by a miracle. He was given organs for a double-transplant.
Although the technology has been available for quite a while, most people don’t know about pancreas and kidney transplants. This complex procedure was done on my son at Queen’s Medical Center. Today, 12 years later, the donor pancreas creates the insulin and the kidney from the same donor recognizes the insulin and is able to efficiently process it.
When Jason came out of surgery and was regaining consciousness, the attending orderly shook his hand and said, “Congratulations, sir, you are no longer diabetic.” This shocked me. I didn’t understand the implications.
It was another miracle.
Transplant survivors have big challenges. Diabetics suffer from vision issues and many other complications. These problems continue after the transplant. However, he is alive, and every day, we are grateful.
Organ donors are always needed; the waiting list is long, and many die waiting. Please consider signing your pledge to donate when you renew your driver’s license.
Also, let your family know of your intentions. Jason says that 50% of intended organ donations are blocked by family members. His donor saved several lives. Six years ago members of my family made the decision to donate their son’s organs. The result saved five people on the transplant list — one was a child.
Some good can come from tragedy. Be a miracle. Consider donating.
Carol Araki Wyban
Kurtistown