Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Dec. 26, 2016

Visitors enjoy a guided hike to Pu‘ū o Lokuana cindercone. See story on next year's Kahuku hikes below.
NPS Photo/Janice Wei

2017  PRESIDENT FOR OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION will be  Ron Gall, currently serving as Vice President. Gall takes over as President Sandi Alexander retires.

Ron Gall, new President of Ocean View
Community Association.
Photo by Ann Bosted

     Gall was born and raised in Oregon where he was educated and worked until he retired in 2003. He moved to the Big Island, living first in Miloli`i, then Captain Cook. He and his wife Karen moved to Ocean View five-and-half years ago. After a year on the board, he became Vice President in February 2015.

    Asked what he considered to be the biggest challenge of the new job, Gall replied, “Meeting the expectations of the community and being consistent.”

    Gall summed it up: “We, who volunteer to work for the community, are often asked by prospective members ‘What do I get for my dues’ to which I have to reply that paying dues is a commitment to the community. I feel like JFK – telling them to not ask what the community can do for them, but what they can do for the community.

    “I believe the association should bring people together – not just Ocean View, but all of Ka`u. We need to build community spirit. We rely on volunteers to man the office every weekday morning, to provide the annual Thanksgiving dinner, and other meals like the pancake breakfast.

    “Dues are necessary just to cover our overhead. Insurance at $7,000 a year is a big expense towards keeping the Community Center open. Renting out the building is our biggest source of income, followed by dues, donations and advertising in the newsletter.  This is not a country club. We need community support.

   “I would like to see the community adopt new programs, such as cleaning up the neighborhood. But we also need to take care of necessities – like maintaining the building that dates back to 1979.  It needs a new roof, so we need more members to join and help.”
    Anyone wanting to volunteer, donate or otherwise help Ocean View Community Association can call Gall at 939-7033.
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Friendraiser hosted games for keiki.
Photos from Na`alehu School

THE FIRST FRIENDRAISER AT NA`ALEHU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL drew about 150 people  recently. ʻOhana and students gathered for fun, games, prizes, and, most importantly, to make new friends and strengthen existing bonds.  

Fun on the field at the Na`alehu Schoo
Friendraiser event.

     School staff and helpers volunteered their time to run booths and man the event. The community also supported the sixth graders in holding a successful bake sale during the day. Future fundraisers are planned to support the upcoming sixth grade graduation and banquet.
     Student council advisors and sixth grade teachers, Amberly Keohuloa and Nellie Davis,  thanked Punalu’u Bake Shop, KTA, Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Flyin’ Hawaiian Coffee Truck, McDonalds, Hana Hou, Edmund C. Olson, Fitzner Custom Welding, Thomas King Custom Wood Work and Wong Yuen Store for their donations. They also thanked teachers, staff, and the planning committee for all of their hard work in making sure this day happened for all and principal Darlene Javar, "for letting it all happen," they said in a statement.

Nellie Davis and Amberly Keohuloa,
student council advisors and sixth
grade teachers at Na`alehu School.

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KA`U FOOD PANTRY holds its next distribution tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 27 at St. Jude's Episcopal Church on Paradise Circle-mauka from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers are welcomed, beginning at 9 a.m. Ka`u Food Pantry, Inc. is staffed  by volunteers, the non-profit agency's mission to feed the hungry of Ocean View. About 150 families are served by Ka`u Food Pantry, providing one to three days of nutritious food to help people who run short of money, benefits or food by the end of each month.

   Donations of non-perishible foods and funding are welcomed. Ka`u Food Pantry is able to purchase food from the Hawai`i Food Basket for 18 cents a pound. One dollar can buy a half a case of food to help the community. Cash donations may be deductible under IRS Code 501. 

     Write checks to St,. Jude's with Food Pantry on the memo line. One hundred percent of any donation goes to the Food Pantry. Send to St. Jude's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 6026, Ocean view, HI 96737.
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FREE GUIDED HIKES AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK are scheduled for January through March, 2017. Visitors can also explore Kahuku on their own on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Enter the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended. Entrance and all programs are free.

Visitors enjoy a guided hike to Pu‘ū o Lokuana cindercone.
NPS Photo/Janice Wei    

     Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone  - Take a short, guided hike to an overlook located on the Upper Palm Trail. From the overlook, park rangers point out the prominent geologic features that define the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Learn about the eruptions that created these features and the cultural traditions associated with them. The Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone program is offered Jan. 7 and March 25; from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
     Pu‘u o Lokuana is a short, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u o Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy an expansive view of lower Ka‘ū. This hike is offered Jan. 8, Feb. 5 and March 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
     Birth of Kahuku. Explore the rich geologic history of Kahuku. Traverse the vast 1868 lava flow, see different volcano features and formations, and identify many parts of the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Learn about the Hawaiian hotspot and the creation of Kahuku. This guided easy-to-moderate hike is offered Jan. 14 and March 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
     People and Land of Kahuku is a moderate two-mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. Emerging native forests, pastures, lava fields, and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped, and restored this land. The guided hike is offered Jan. 15, Feb. 19 and March 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
     Palm Trail is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop traversing scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and amazing volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures. A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered Jan. 21, Jan. 29, Feb. 26, and March 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Palm Trail in the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
NPS Photo/Sami Steinkamp

    

      ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua - Learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree, and the lehua flower. Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku on this program, which is an easy, one-mile (or less) walk. The ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua program is offered Jan. 22, Feb. 12, and March 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
     Pele & Hi‘iaka. - Discover two fascinating Hawaiian goddesses, sisters Pelehonuamea (Pele) and Hi‘iaka, and the natural phenomena they represent. Visitors will experience the sisters coming alive through the epic stories depicted in the natural landscape of Kahuku on this easy 1.7-mile walk on the main road in Kahuku. The Hi‘iaka and Pele program is offered Jan. 28 and Feb. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
     Realms and Divisions of Kahuku - Experience the sense of place that evolves at the intersection of nature and culture on this moderately difficult two-mile, two-hour guided hike on the Kahuku Unit’s newest trail, Pu‘u Kahuku. Explore the realms and divisions of the traditional Hawaiian classification system at Kahuku. This hike is offered Feb. 11 and March 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
     Keep up with Kahuku events and visit the calendar on the park website, https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm, and download the Kahuku Site Bulletin https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/upload/2013_11_05-Kahuku-Site-Bulletin.pdf. 

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CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp cottage through the holidays.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Brief Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016

Churches around Ka`u held services for Christmas last night and today, this one at Na`alehu Methodist.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U FOOD PANTRY holds its next distribution this Tuesday, Dec. 27 at St. Jude's Episcopal Church on Paradise Circle-mauka. The new hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers are always needed and welcomed, beginning at 9 a.m. Ka`u Food Pantry, Inc. is staffed entirely with volunteers and is a non-profit agency with the mission to feed the hungry of Ocean View.  About 150 families are served by Ka`u Food Pantry. The program is designed to provide one to three days of nutritious food to help people who run short of money, benefits or food by the end of the month.
     Donations of non-perishible food items and funding are welcomed. Ka`u Food Pantry is able to purchase food from the Hawai`i Food Basket for 18 cents a pound. One dollar can buy a half a case of food to help the community. Cash donations may be deductible under IRS Code 501. Write checks to St,. Jude's with Food Pantry on the memo line. One hundred percent of any donation goes to the Food Pantry. Send to St. Jude's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 6026, Ocean view, HI 96737.
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Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and husband Abraham Williams

AS FAMILIES JOINED TOGETHER FOR THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard spent holidays in Hawai`i surfing with her husband, Abraham Williams, Gabbard pointed out today that many U.S. military people are shipping out to war zones.
    Among them are 1,700 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team leaving for Iraq. One of their large packages this Christmas season is comprised of 232 pounds of gear. "We must not forget those who are currently deployed overseas, unable to spend time with their families and loved ones," wrote Gabbard.
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PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA and family are spending the holidays in Hawai`i. In their Christmas Message, Michelle Obama pointed to the "ideas that we are our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper. That we should treat others as we would want to be treated. And that we care for the sick, feed the hungry and welcome the stranger no matter where they come from, or how they practice their faith."
     Barack Obama said these values "help guide not just my family's Christian faith, but that of Jewish Americans, and Muslim Americans; nonbelievers and Americans of all backgrounds. And no one better embodies that spirit of service than the men and women who wear our country''s uniform and their families."

Pres. Barack and Michelle Obama issue Christmas message,
while staying in Hawai`i for the holidays.
Photo from the White House

     The President said that "the greatest gift that Michelle and I have received over the last eight years has been the honor of serving as your President and First Lady. Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years, and got unemployment to a nine-year low. We secured health insurance for another twenty million Americans, and new protections for folks who already had insurance. We made America more respected around the world, took on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids, and much, much more.

Gov. David Ige whose former liaison Wil Okabe is now Mayor
Harry Kim's Managing Director for Hawai`i County. Okabe
was also head of the Hawai`i teachers union.
Photo from HSTA

    ''By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we first got here. And I’m hopeful we’ll build on the progress we’ve made in the years to come," said Obama in his last Christmas Message as President.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.                                                                                                   THE NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HAWAI`I COUNTY is Wil Okabe, the former East Hawai`i liaison for Gov. David Ige and a former president of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association - the teachers' union. 

     Okabe is Mayor Harry Kim's first appointment to his administration, confirmed by the Hawai`i County Council last Wednesday. Okabe spoke to the council members, saying he wants closer cooperation between the legislative body and the administration.  

     Okabe said that when Kim called him, it took him awhile to see the importance of the County managing director's job. "Harry's mission is to make sure that trust, honesty and integrity is at the utmost importance to this administration," he said. Okabe said these three word are an important aspect of Kim's administration. "What people want in this community is that we are fair, and to ensure that the services provided by this county is something we can be proud of."  

    Okabe said he can also his bring his knowledge of working with the state as the HSTA union leader and as the governor's liaison to his new county position and promote a good state and county relationship.
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HOVE ROAD MAINTENANCE  BOARD MEETING, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 10:30 a..m. is at St. Jude's Church.  929-9910.

Kilauea Military Camp with its cottages decorated in lights and an
opportunity to choose the best. Photo from KMC

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp cottage through the holidays.

NEW YEARS DAY BRUNCH, Sunday, Jan. 1 from 7 a.m. to noon at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Roast pork, chicken picata, omelet station, pancakes, breakfast potatoes, patties, bacon, fresh fruit and beverags. Adults $16.95, children 6-11 for $9.50. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u Calendar Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016

Christmas in the Country continues until Jan. 2 at Volcano Art Center Gallery, Photo from Volcano Art Center.

INTERVENTION IN HELCO'S RATE HIKE is the request filed Friday by Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance. The 80-page Joint Motion to Intervene in HELCO’s application for a 6.5 percent rate increase is before the Public Utilities Commission.
      Life of the Land has been admitted into 41 PUC proceedings since 1971. It has also filed a motion to intervene on the side of the complainants in the PUC docket concerning the controversial Ocean View solar farms in Ka’u.
   Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance focused their intervention on a variety of rate recovery issues, including climate change, safety, customer`s disconnecting from the grid, cutting out fat from the utility`s operating structure, the potential acquisition of a fossil fuel power plant, and changing from a cost-of-service rate model to a Performance Based Ratemaking using Performance Incentive Metrics.

    “With the exception of the NextEra-HECO merger proceeding, rate cases are without rival, in terms of complexity and numeric intensity,” wrote Life of the Land's Vice President and energy guru, Henry Curtis. 

     Curtis wrote: “Today, we exist on a razor's edge between the past and the future. Technological advances, and on-the-ground conditions, are rapidly evolving. What worked yesterday is significantly different today.
    “The greatest changes are occurring on the grid-edge, or in the realm of what lies beyond the traditional utility-customer metered grid-interface. Hawai`i Rooftop solar, Net Energy Metering, Demand Response, the Internet of All Significant Things, voice-activated Bluetooth home electronic consumer appliances, smart home energy systems, residential energy storage systems including plug-and-play systems that can be installed in any room, and driverless electric vehicles are among the science-fiction things of yesteryear which are the realities of today."

   “Fundamental questions arise. Is the utility seeking ratepayer funds to prop up and perpetuate a past which no longer exists, or is the utility creating a distributed platform which can serve as a building block for the future?"
     Curtis contends that the three main issues in a rate case are: What costs should be passed onto ratepayers? Which costs should not be passed on? What is the appropriate rate of return on equity for the utility?”
     After costs, Curtis said, he is very concerned about safety while producing power on the Big Island – a huge issue for the Puna residents living near the geothermal plant. During the public hearing about the rate case, PUC commissioners were told that there have been 17 declared civil defense emergencies when toxic emissions from the power plant poisoned residents.

     Curtis writes “The HELCO-Puna Geothermal Ventures Power Purchase Contract clearly states that there are three different safety sub-issues: safety for the HELCO grid, safety at the PGV plant, and safety for HELCO customers. The contract binds PGV safety, with HELCO purchase, of geothermal energy.
      “Currently HELCO customers face on-going toxic trespass due to intentional and unintentional emissions by the actions taken at the PGV plant. HELCO has failed to deal with this safety issue," states Curtis.
     "The Commission has the kuleana to deal with safety issues. The Mission Statement of the Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission deals in part with safety.”
     Curtis quotes from the PUC’s mission statement: “The Commission’s mission is to provide effective, proactive, and informed oversight of all regulated entities to ensure that they operate at a high level of performance so as to serve the public fairly, efficiently, safely, and reliably, while addressing the goals and future needs of the State in the most economically, operationally, and environmentally sound manner, and affording the opportunity for regulated entities to achieve and maintain commercial viability.”

Henry Curtis
Photo by Big Island Video News

    Curtis explains: “Tropical Storm Iselle leveled Albizia trees, forcing residents to stay home. The Puna Geothermal Plant did not shut down; the plant was kept operational due to demands by HELCO. Unanticipated toxic emissions blanketed the neighborhood. Trapped residents suffered. Civil Defense told people to leave the area, but they were trapped by fallen trees blocking roads. Ratepayers should not pay utility costs incurred while being trapped in their homes.
    “Customer exit or bypass is a hot button issue. The edge of the grid is becoming less firm. Demand Response and Rooftop Solar enable residents to provide power, as well as frequency and voltage regulation, to the grid. Should customers be allowed to leave the grid?
    “Should the utility give incentives to the ten largest customers? According to HELCO, the 10 largest customers account for 16.4 percent of electric sales by the utility. Furthermore, the ten entities have “demonstrated the ability to self-generate as a number of them have either installed or plan to install PV, wind or hydroelectric systems.
      “Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance have a position that customer exit is not the boogeyman, and it may be the optimal solution of the future.
     “The issue of whether the loss of a single customer harms all other customers has never been addressed. Conversely, does unlimited growth benefit everyone, since the utility will gain new customers? Or is it a one-sided equation, where if the utility gains one customer and losses another customer, it is a net loss for everyone, because gains don`t count, but losses do count?
      “If the State goals are to increase the use of renewable energy and decrease greenhouse gases, while maintaining reasonable rates, how does grid connection matter?

Life of the Land and Puna Pono state that residents have been blanketed by toxic
emissions from the geothermal plant. Photo from Puna Pono Alliance

     “Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance firmly believe that grid parity has been achieved on the Neighbor Islands. HELCO proposes to raise rates in the near term, and then add additional expenses with implementing the Smart Grid and for adding redundant layers of cybersecurity. On the other hand, battery prices will fall while their reliability will increase. Thus, there will be increasing cost justification for leaving the grid.
      “Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance believe that those exiting the system should not be penalized. A true unbundled price comparison should be made between the different options for the future.
      “The Hawai`i Legislature passed SB 120 SD1 in 2013. The governor signed the bill as Act 37. The bill encourages the Commission to replace the traditional cost-of-service rate model with one based on Performance Incentive Metrics. The use of the carrot-and-stick approach will be examined in this rate case. Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance support the idea that PIMs should be addressed holistically as part of a broad incentives and penalties analysis. This is the approach suggested by Blue Planet Foundation and Hawai`i Solar Energy Association in the Commission`s decoupling proceeding.
      “The Public Utilities Commission informed HELCO that it had to do a better job cutting costs. If the utility has cut fat from its system, it has done a poor job explaining it. This docket will examine ways of reducing utility costs. Unbundling rates is key, so everyone can understand what the cost of different services are, and so customers can pay only for those services that they want to get from the utility.
      “HELCO asserted that greenhouse gas emissions can be discussed in future rate cases. Other utilities are not waiting for future rate cases. Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance believe that the issue of global warming, climate change and greenhouse gas emissions should be part of every utility docket. But ultimately, that is a policy decision to be made by the Commission.

Marco Mangelsdorf

     “The issue of climate change is not going away. It will be up to the States to take the necessary regulatory actions. The rise in ocean temperatures will result in a greater number of increasingly intense, tropical storms and hurricanes. As has been recently demonstrated, the Big Island is the most likely place to be hit.
     “Life of the Land and Puna Pono Alliance support the idea that separate and independent companies should own generation and energy delivery systems. HELCO should not be allowed to purchase a fossil fuel plant in Honoka`a.”
     Tuesday is the last day to file a Motion to Intervene or to Participate.

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A NEW NON-PROFIT UTILITY FOR THE BIG ISLAND recently received approval from the Internal Revenue Service, which gave Hawai`i Island Energy Cooperative  its 501(c)(12) status. It joins more than 900 member-owned, community based utilities in the USA, which serve an estimated 42 million energy consumers.
     Marco Mangelsdorf, HIEC director and spokesperson, stated. “Receiving this official approval is fantastic news. This sets the stage for HIEC to be an operating non-profit utility serving the Big Island. This is particularly important as both Hawai`i Electric Light Co and Hawaiian Electric Co. roll out new electric rate increases. Cost control and efficiency are core to a cooperative, not shareholder profits.”

     The new status for a new player in the energy field comes after the PUC failed to approve the Next Era takeover of Hawaiian Electric Industries and its subsidiaries HECO, HELCO and Maui Electric Co. These subsidiaries are about to unveil their latest Power Supply Improvement Plans and rate increases are pending.
     “The consideration of the cooperative ownership structure is timely, relevant and presents an opportunity to make critically important decisions about how Hawai`i Island will meet our state’s clean energy objectives in the most cost effective way possible” adds Mangelsdorf.
    “We first sought to get a seat at the table in early 2015 as the docket on the HEI-NextEra was opened,” noted HIEC president Richard Ha. “Those of us who founded HIEC were convinced that the tumblers had fallen into place for us to do all that we could to try and replicate the success that Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative has been achieving on the Garden Island. We got our seat and are excited about the future.” 

        Energy guru and commentator Henry Curtis wrote a blog item entitled, Should HELCO be Sold to a Non-Profit? Curtis states that being recognized as a non-profit utility by the IRS will enable the new entity to pursue one of three courses.
       A top-down approach would involve buying HELCO from its parent company Hawaiian Electric Company, through a deal with the shareholders of Hawaiian Electric Industries, and the approval of the Public Utilities Commission. HIEC would borrow a billion dollars and spent a year or two in regulatory arenas.
     A bottom-up approach would involve establishing a micro-grid within HELCO`s geographic footprint, perhaps in conjunction with Parker Ranch, and gradually increasing its size, until it rivalled or displaced HELCO.
     A third approach would involve threatening one of the above, forcing HELCO to lower its rates, and to become more responsive to its customers.

Richard Ha has been a longtime advocate of an alternative
to HELCO. Photo from Richard Ha

     Curtis also explains how HEI may see the sale as a poor proposition: “Some have speculated that HEI would resist selling HELCO to HIEC. If such action resulted in lower rates, then MECO and HECO would be next. If the sale resulted in worse conditions for Big Island residents, then HEI would be blamed for agreeing to the sale. To overcome this resistance, the price tag to HEI shareholders would have to be substantial.”

     Curtis asks what, if anything, would change when he writes “One issue that would have to be resolved is whether the transfer of assets would simply involve replacing the owners and restructuring taxes, or if the sale would actually change policies, such as the role of geothermal and the possible use of LNG.”      Discussing the history of such acquisitions, Curtis writes:

     “There have been several successful and unsuccessful efforts to acquire electric utilities in Hawai`i beyond NextEra`s recent failure to acquire the Hawaiian Electric Companies.
     The top-down successes included Hawaiian Electric Co. purchase of Maui Electric Co. in 1968 and Hawai`i Electric Light Company in 1970, Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative  purchase of Citizens Utility Corp.'s Kaua`i Electric Division in 2002, and Larry Ellison`s purchase of Lana`i utilities.
    “An alternative top-down approach was the creation of Hawaiian Electric Industries holding company by HECO in 1981-83. “Top down failures to date included the first proposal by KIUC to acquire Citizens Kaua`i Electric Division in 2000, the proposal by Ku`oko`a to acquire the HECO Companies and Puna Geothermal Ventures , and the failed proposal by Princeton Energy Group to create Ikehu Moloka`i.
    “Hawai`i Island Energy Cooperative is currently proposing to acquire HELCO, and Parker Ranch is currently proposing to develop a Waimea Microgrid.
     “Bottom up efforts have included the establishment Camp Smith's Inner and Outer Microgrid in Aiea, the creation of a small-scale microgrid at the VERGE Energy conference held in Honolulu last June, and Hickam Air Force Base`s proposed microgrid.
    “There have been proposals for several other microgrids at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority  on the Big Island, a Maui Community College microgrid, and the effort by Larry Ellison’s Lanai Resorts LLC to hire Byron Washom to develop a Lana`i microgrid.”
     “Some utilities have considered acquiring other utilities. At one point HECO considered acquiring the Kaua`i utility before KIUC succeeded. The Gas Company considered acquiring the HECO Companies,”added Curtis.

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CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp through the holidays.