CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Solar panels were on view at AES Hawaii’s West Oahu Solar + Storage project in Kapolei on Tuesday. The facility will produce enough energy to reduce Oahu’s use of fossil fuels by 750,000 barrels of oil.
Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
On Oahu and the Big Island, residents know firsthand about rolling blackouts and outages due to unexpected equipment issues.
The demand to power our economy and the growing number of battery- operated vehicles will require more power. We need to embrace an all- sources-of-power-generation policy to ensure a continuous flow of reliable and economical electricity. Redundancy can only be achieved by having a variety of power generation sources — green energy alone is unreliable.
Recently on Oahu, an existing coalfired plant was prematurely decommissioned. That led to electricity cost increases. Hawaiian Electric was forced to abide by legislative fiat even though it was not ready. How was that prudent and fair to our citizens?
Hawaii needs to deviate from its proclaimed goal of having a 100% renewable energy portfolio by 2045. Failure to reset our current thinking invites exposure to disastrous outcomes.
John Tamashiro
Pearl City
EXPRESS YOURSELF
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.
>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite #7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813
>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter