Issue Position: Energy Security

Issue Position

"Cheap, clean energy is a goal we must embrace -- our economy and our future depend on it."

Chris Helps Pass Law To Provide Rooftop Solar To Middle And Low Income Families Across The State

In a landmark achievement this year we passed a bill I championed to provide cheap renewable rooftop solar systems to middle and low income residents would could previously not afford the high up-front cost of renewable technology, and will save local families tens of thousands of dollars in the decades to come. As Chair of the Energy and Environmental Protection Committee I made SB 1087 our top priority and pushed it to the Governor's desk where he signed it into law.

This bill will provide homeowners and renters the option to have a system installed with no up-front cost and pay it down right on their existing electric bill in place of paying for HECO's electricity. Once the system is paid off it's owned by the homeowner and high electric bills disappear forever. It's an easy and hassle-free way for families to save significant money. This out-of-the-box idea uses private investment capital to finance this program which won't use a dime of taxpayer dollars. It means ultra-low interest financing that will reduce everyone's energy costs without taxpayers having to pay for the program.

Holding Utilities Accountable

With electric bills rising in recent years, many have begun to complain that the virtual monopoly the local utility industry has on each island is pushing back against the move toward cheaper renewable energy. Residents wishing to install solar panels to cut their electric bill down have encountered resistance from their utility leaving them unable to connect to the grid.

Calling our local utilities to the table in public hearings before the media, I helped navigate the first of several clashes between our local utility and the solar companies and their customers who have been encountering utility resistance. This led to the utility opening the grid once more to allow those who already invested in solar panels to connect to the grid. Right now solar is the only practical way families can truly control their electric bills. The next step is passing legislation that will ensure everyone can install solar panels that will cut down their electric bills and can continue to connect to the electric grid.

Renewable, Efficient Schools

Lanikai Elementary is a Charter School, which means that is has to pay it's own costs -- including electricity. I recently worked to help set aside $500,000 in the state budget to purchase a solar photo-voltaic rooftop array for the school. The goal is to have the school produce it's own power and save big as conventional energy prices continue to rise in the future. Every dollar the school does not have to spend on electricity, it can spend in the classroom teaching our students. "The system is already showing promise to supply from 80-100% of the schools total energy usage. Our savings per month will be approximately $5000, or $166 per day," said School Director Ed Noh.

The State of Hawaii has recently built upon the model established at schools like Lanikai Elementary by entering into a an agreement with local utilities and Hawaii Pacific Solar, who will install solar panels at 15 Kauai public schools at no cost to the state. The department will buy electricity generated by the panels at a cheaper rate than what they are now paying which will greatly reduce costs. The new 2.4 megawatt system will generate about 60 percent of the 6.6 million kilowatt hours used by Kauai DOE schools annually. The DOE will reduce its dependency on oil imports by more than 6,414 barrels and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 6,081,390 pounds annually. Kauai is the first island whose schools will begin to go off the grid. Public schools on all islands will follow once the schools on Kauai are complete, potentially saving the State hundreds of millions of dollars into the future.

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