While wind and hydroelectric projects are being held up by community and conservation concerns, two new solar projects are moving forward. One project will turn an industrial disposal site into a solar farm and the other will bring solar power to several state military sites. On Thursday, August 18, 2011, a Hawaiian blessing was performed [...]
One of our state’s best options for clean, renewable energy is solar. Solar farms are being built and solar panels are increasingly installed on homes and businesses throughout the islands. Even shopping centers and military bases are getting on board, helping Hawaii move closer to our 2030 clean energy goals. The state has encouraged residents [...]
A recent Public Utilities Commission (PUC) ruling threw a big wrench in Hawaiian Electric Company’s (HECO) Big Wind plans, forcing HECO to consider alternative energy proposals. According to the ruling, proposals must be for 200 megawatts of renewable energy, but need not be focused on wind. So while HECO has been forced to pause and [...]
On average, Kahului, Maui enjoys approximately 276 days of sun per year. Not far behind, Honolulu, Oahu sees about 271 days of sun while Lihue, Kauai receives 240, and Hilo, Hawaii, 168. Given these numbers, it is no surprise that businesses and residents of the Aloha state are looking increasingly toward solar power for energy. [...]
Developer D.R. Horton-Shuler Homes is calling the planned Ho’opili housing community “a walkable, sustainable community”. But the very plan to build a community on the site of the world’s best farmland is in itself in direct conflict with the notion of sustainability. In order to build the 12, 000 home Ho’opili community, the ‘Ewa area [...]
While many cultural communities around the globe are being divided by developers and swallowed up by the tides of globalization, one community right here in Hawaii is offering hope – and a real life vision – of what sustainable cultural communities can look like. Just last month the Kaupuni Village dream became a reality, as [...]
If there is one thing that Hawaii has plenty of, it’s sunshine. So it seems only right that a group of University of Hawaii students has been chosen to compete in the 2011 Solar Decathalon sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab. Of course, the selection criteria required more [...]
As current and future homeowners become more interested in the environment and sustainability, on both a global and local level, the significance of planning, design and construction has increased as buyers are doing their homework to find Maui homes for sale with trustworthy green building practices. Green building practices on Maui considerations: solar alternative energy [...]
For the past 20 years Americans have been consumed with consumption. It is the basis of our economic model. It is no wonder then, that our preferences for our homes has been to have bigger and better. We have been obsessed with stuff, and more of it. Possessions have become an indicator of our status, [...]
In my recent post, “Hawaii resorts looking to save energy by turning of the air conditioning“, I discussed 2 resorts using a technology that turned off air conditioning when you left your room. Then a reader commented asking, “Why do these resorts even need air conditioning?”. It’s true, this is Hawaii and median temperatures are [...]