Honua Ola agrees with Commissioner Asuncion’s Dissent which opines that Honua Ola and Hawaiian Electric met their burden for approval, that there will never be an analysis that would be deemed sufficient in the PUC Majority’s subjective eyes, nor a set of conditions or outcome upon which the PUC Majority would approve this project, and that the PUC Majority decision not only...Read More
May 11, 2022
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Good for the much-needed reality check on solar energy (“Can 100% renewable energy by 2045 be reliable, affordable?,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, April 7). Intermittent solar with battery backup that lasts only two days is hardly reliable.
April was cloudy and rainy almost every day on east Hawaii Island. My rooftop solar was near...Read More
May 16, 2022
Finding Hawaii’s route to better balance in its energy strategy has many twists and turns, largely because the landscape of technology, environment and economy keeps changing beneath everyone’s feet.
This is why the state has struggled to settle on a pathway for Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC. The company is nearing completion of a $474 million wood-burning biomass plant and is...Read More
To understand the benefits of biomass, we first need to understand what biomass is. Recognized by both the federal and state governments as a renewable energy source, biomass combusts plant-based materials to generate electricity.
Trees grown as a crop are the primary source for biomass, although invasive tree species and other wood byproducts can also be used. The Green Team biomass...Read More
Carbon Negative Operations
Honua Ola’s forestry program will capture more carbon than its plant emits, which will allow our project to be carbon negative. How does this happen? We have to look at the entire picture. Trees capture greenhouse gases and because Honua Ola will plant many more trees than it harvests for fuel, the greenhouse gases captured by the trees will...Read More
