Pahoa residents urged to consult insurers

Hawaii Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito urged Pahoa residents to contact their insurance companies as coverage rumors cause confusion for homeowners affected by the lava flow.

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs said to contact insurance companies about coverage questions regarding "abandonment of property," "loss of use and alternative living expenses" and "vandalism" that have occurred on Hawaii island.

"Our thoughts are with the residents in Pahoa during this very difficult time," Ito said. "We want to remind people to focus on their safety and well-being instead of worrying about coverage rumors. If homeowners have any questions or concerns about their coverage, we ask them to reach out to their insurance company as soon as possible."

Pahoa residents who still have questions or concerns after contacting their insurance company can reach out to the Insurance Division using the toll-free Hawaii island number, 974-4000.

HECO apologizes for Mililani power outage

Hawaiian Electric Co. apologized to Oahu customers after a power failure. The outage began after 9 p.m. Thursday. Many Mililani Mauk­a customers affected by the initial outage were switched to another circuit, restoring their power before 10 p.m. At 4 a.m. additional damage prevented the restoration of power to remaining customers without electricity.

Inspection of the surrounding overhead lines by helicopter found that a large tree branch had broken and brought down a power line. Crews had to remove the tree branch before repairs could resume. Those repairs were finished before noon Friday.

Cyanotech installs 2,280-panel solar array

Cyanotech Corp., a natural supplements producer in Kona, said Friday it has installed a 2,280-panel solar array.

The solar array sits on 1.3 acres of the company’s 90-acre microalgae farm. The installation will produce 1,147,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. The energy production can power the entire farm’s production during daylight hours, and will reduce Cyanotech’s electricity costs by 10 percent.

"Environmental stewardship is a key tenet of Cyanotech’s corporate mission," said Gerry Cysew­ski, chief science officer, executive vice president and co-founder of Cyanotech. "We are currently able to keep our carbon footprint down because our microalgae use carbon dioxide. The solar array will further reduce our greenhouse emissions and costs."

Boys & Girls Club seeks to improve lighting

The Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii is raising money for a $60,000 energy-efficiency project. If successfully funded, the project will install high-efficiency lighting at three of the youth-serving organization’s clubhouses. It potentially could save the facilities $18,000 a year in energy costs.

The Boys & Girls Club is funding the project through WEfficiency, an online lending platform developed by Blue Planet Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization.

The campaign, which kicked off at the Art + Flea event in Kaka­ako on Thursday, lasts through Dec. 30.

To support BGCH’s campaign through loans or donations, visit WEfficiency.org.

Exxon’s refining offsets low oil price

NEW YORK » ExxonMobil Corp.’s refining and chemical operations rescued the company’s third-quarter results amid falling global oil prices and lower oil and gas production. Exxon posted a surprise increase in profit thanks to a 38 percent increase in profit from turning oil and gas into fuels and chemicals. The company said Friday it earned $8.07 billion on revenue of $107.49 billion compared with a profit of $7.87 billion on revenue of $112.37 billion a year ago.

ON THE MOVE

The board of W.M. Keck Observatory has announced that Hilton Lewis has been appointed director of the observatory. He has served as interim director since May. Lewis joined Keck in 1986 and has served in various leadership roles, including management of engineering division and deputy director.

RevoluSun has hired the following employees as project developers for its Oahu division:

» Sam Wolff previously served as sales and networking coordinator with Flo Water as well as a trade show representative for Hawaii Skylights and Solar Fans.

» Ana Magalianes was active in Sustainable UH, a group dedicated to promoting sustainability within the University of Hawaii system. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian studies this year.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures:

HONOLULU HARBOR