When alternative energy starts to add up

Sometimes, it costs too much green to go green.

The move from oil to plant-based biofuel may be politically correct but proved less than automatic when Hawaiian Electric Co. sought to meet the state’s goal of generating 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

The Public Utilities Commission rejected HECO’s plan to buy 16 million gallons of biofuel produced on Hawaii island by Aina Koa Pono, which would have harvested existing wild plants and trees on 13,000 acres of land in the Kau district as fodder for its biofuel plant.

It all came down to money: Replacing petroleum-based fuel with biofuel would result in utility customers on the island paying at least $100 million more over the 20-year life of the proposed contract.

It was no surprise when the commission explained it was responding to "a real world."

The first ‘Thar she blows!’ of the season

The humpbacks are back.

The first confirmed sighting of the season, by Sea Quest tour operator Tony Roensch, took place a week ago in Honaunau Bay off Hawaii island.

The whale, a yearling, made its presence known by a couple of tail slaps. A good thing, too: Whale calves are difficult to see because they rest just under the surface, and surface for air more frequently than mature whales, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

The endangered whales are, of course, protected under federal law. It’s forbidden to come within 100 yards of whales when on the water. That rule includes not just tour boat operators; it includes everyone in the ocean, from swimmers to kayakers, divers, paddle boarders and windsurfers.

And if you’re in an aircraft? You must keep at least 1,000 feet away.