Solar Home Tours

This Saturday (March 28), local solar companies RevoluSun and Sunetric are hosting open house tours of homes in Lanikai and Kailua that have installed photovoltaic and/or solar hot water systems on their properties (Star-Bulletin article). This is a great opportunity to learn about home solar systems, talk to homeowners and installers, ask questions about installation and financing, and begin the journey toward installing solar for your own household, business, or faith community buildings. The Star-Bulletin article also has links to resources for those interested in installing a solar system for their home.

Broad Public Support for Utility-Scale Solar

A new poll has found broad public support for utility-scale solar farms on federal lands (original article). The poll was commissioned to determine public support for US Department of Interior plans to fast-track a number of solar power plant proposals on federal lands in the western US. One of the main advantages of large solar farms is that they can be built quickly because they don't require huge facilities like traditional steam turbine-driven power plants.

Hawaii Interfaith Power and Light generally supports distributed energy production, e.g. household- or business-scale solar. By putting power in the hands of the people, we have not only control over our own energy production but also the responsibility to manage our own energy demands. Distributed energy production makes clear the direct link between energy demand and energy production. Such systems are also buffered against grid failure, power plant disruptions, and of course utility rate increases.

That said, building utility-scale solar plants is preferable to more fossil fuel-powered plants. For those of us in condos or apartment buildings who can't generate our own electricity, having the option of purchasing electricity from a renewable energy source is the next best thing. With these favorable poll results, the hope is that the federal government will support private and public investment in renewable energy projects at all scales.