Solar supporters are showing up at the Hawaii State Capitol today to rally for solar tax credits that are helping Hawaii move towards a clean energy photo. Photo by Greg Yamamoto for the Ulupono Initiative. Courtesy.

Solar power supporters, unite!

If you want to keep renewable energy tax credits going strong in Hawaii, then let your voice be heard at the "Power to the People Day" from noon to 2 p.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol tomorrow (Wednesday, March 20).

Renewable energy advocates are rallying in support of legislation that will keep renewable energy tax credits going strong in Hawaii and available to homeowneres and businesses.

The Hawaii Solar Energy Association, Blue Planet Foundation, Sierra Club, Ulupono Initiative, Sen. Mike Gabbard (West Oahu), Rep. Chris Lee and other advocates will be present.

Advocates say that renewable energy tax credits are accomplishing what they were created to do — make clean energy more accessible and affordable to more people. Since the tax credits were put in place in 2009, solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Hawaii have quadrupled. The solar industry also generated over a quarter of all local construction jobs, according to an estimate from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

One residential PV system in Hawaii (sized at 5.27KW) yields 3.2 new local jobs, $106,000 in local labor income and more than $20,000 in additional tax revenues, according to the Blue Planet Foundation's full analysis of solar tax credits and their impact on the local economy. Photo courtesy Blue Planet Foundation.

The Blue Planet Foundation yesterday released a full report detailing the economic impacts of Hawaii's renewable energy tax credit showing that the existing incentive yields a "clear, significant net fiscal benefit to the state."

The analysis, which Blue Planet commissioned from former University of Hawaii economist Thomas Loudat, found that every commercial photovoltaic (PV) tax credit dollar invested yields $7.15 that stays in Hawaii and $55.03 in additional sales, which generates $2.67 in new tax revenue.

Every residential solar PV tax credit dollar yields $1.97 in additional tax revenues, with $5.71 that stays in Hawaii and $34.69 in additional local sales. For a typical 118-KW commercial PV installation, the state gains about 2.7 local jobs each year over the 30-year lifetimes of the system.

"Solar energy is currently a bright spot in Hawaii's progress toward energy independence," said Blue Planet director Jeff Mikulina. "Our analysis shows that solar is also a bright spot in Hawaii's economy and our state budget."

Besides reducing our dependence on oil, Mikulina said the solar industry in Hawaii is creating thousands of local jobs and funneling hundreds of millions of tax dollars into the state budget.

Solar accounts for 15 percent of all construction expenditures in Hawaii, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). Solar installations also bring federal dollars into the local economy in the form of a 30-percent federal renewable energy tax credit, says Blue Planet, with a multiplier effect equivalent to tourist dollars coming to Hawaii.

Plus, solar is gaining good momentum. Blue Planet's analysis shows the use of solar increasing more rapidly in less wealthy neighborhoods.

Read the full study with supporting data at BluePlanetFoundation.org/SolarCredit.

Less than 2 percent of Hawaii is solar-powered, according to the Sierra Club, which is challenging the governor to hold off on slashing tax incentives. Photo from solarenergyfactsblog.com/solar-pv/

The Sierra Club is taking on Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie for cutting the amount of state tax credits available to homeowners and businesses installing solar electric systems with a media campaign it unveiled today.

Under the Hawaii Department of Taxation's new interpretation of the solar credit — which went into effect Jan. 1 — the availability of Hawaii's average renewable energy tax credit for solar PV systems will be reduced by about 50 percent.

The Sierra Club, which also filed a lawsuit challenging the new solar tax credit limits, features "Sonny the Solar Panel" standing in an unemployment line in its media campaign. Listen to an audio clip here.

Sonny stands in line at the unemployment office, lamenting the "good career" he had here in Hawaii until Gov. Abercrombie "went behind the back of the state legislature and single-handedly slashed those tax credits..."

Sonny points out that less than two percent of Hawaii's energy comes from solar and alleges that Abercrombie's "reckless action is putting a brand new industry and thousands of clean energy jobs at risk."

The Sierra Club is also asking members of the public to send a message to Gov. Abercrombie, asking him to hold off on his executive rules and find a solution instead that preserves green jobs, clean energy growth and the ability for people to move off of oil at www.savehawaiisolar.org.

A total of 24 states offer tax incentives for solar electric systems, according to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). Hawaii is generous, but Louisiana is even more generous. This article from The Pew Center on the States points out that while solar tax credits are being blamed, Hawaii lacks a reliable analysis of the renewable energy credit's future fiscal impact.

On another note, congratulations to Keauhou Shopping Center owned by Kamehameha Schools, which installed a 376-KW system on seven buildings, which should offset about 455 tons of CO2 a year. Kamehameha Schools went with a SurePath Solar power purchase agreement from Tioga Energy. The system was installed by Honolulu-based Hoku Solar.

Damon Suehiro, 7, is the fall winner of HECO's Energy Detective Guide energy pledge drawing. He poses here with his energy conservation kit and little brother, Brennan, 5. Courtesy photo.

Damon Suehiro, a second-grader, is the winner of the Hawaiian Electric Co.'s Energy Detective Guide energy pledge drawing for the fall.

Damon, 7, is a nature lover and Boy Scout who became fascinated by the solar photovoltaic system on the Omidyar K-1 Neighborhood's rooftop. He convinced his parents, Christine and Garrett, that they, too, should install a PV system on the family barn and home in Maunawili.

They did — and the result is a monthly electric bill of about $16 per month, compared to $450 a month.

Damon picked up HECO's Energy Detective Guide during a nature study program at Punahou and went to work around his home, capturing energy phantoms and bandits. For his efforts, Damon wins an Energy Conservation Kit which he plans to share with his fellow "wolf scouts."

Oftentimes, it takes someone in second grade to point out to us what we should be doing. Have you heard your kids say things like: "You should compost that, mom" and "Shouldn't that be recycled?"

Damon also enjoys baseball, jiu-jitsu, tennis, swimming, playing the ukulele and has planted an organic garden. He plans to become a paleontologist or veterinarian one day.

Congratulations, Damon!

Blue Planet Foundation director Jeff Mikulina and UH Lab School student Chris Pascua point to Hawaii on a world map. Pascua was selected to participate in Al Gore's climate training this week. Blue Planet helped sponsor his trip. Courtesy photo.

UH Lab School student Chris Pascua, 11, was among the youngest attendees at this week's North American Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training in San Francisco.

The program — as well as The Climate Reality Project — was developed by former U.S. vice president and Nobel Peace prize winner Al Gore. Chris was one of about 1,000 participants selected from throughout the globe to participate in the three-day training session this week.

He was nominated by the Blue Planet Foundation, which helped sponsor his trip. Blue Planet was impressed by Chris's remarkable ability to engage an audience when he spoke at a youth energy rally at the state Capitol last year.

Attendees are trained to help spread the call to action on climate change as well as help communities understand the reality of the climate crisis with the most current information.

Pascua met Gore and shared what he learned via Skype on Wednesday with Hawaii News Now.

Students from Kahului participated in Blue Planet's "Better Bulb" blitz, in which incandescent bulbs were swapped for more energy-efficient CFLs for free. Photo courtesy Blue Planet Foundation.

The Blue Planet Foundation's "Better Bulb Blitzes" program has resulted in about 87,500 CFLs that have been swapped for incandescent bulbs over the past several months.

School and community groups from Maui, Hawaii island and leeward Oahu helped replace more than 85,000 incandescent light bulbs with the more energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Collectively, the use of those CFLs is expected to save residents about $13.6 million.

A CFL uses about 75 percent less electricity than a conventional bulb. On Hawaii island, that translates into a lifetime savings of about $160 per bulb (assuming the cost of electricity there is about $0.43 per kilowatt hour).

Blue Planet provides the bulbs at no cost to schools, clubs, athletic teams and other community groups as fundraisers, paying between $0.40 and $0.50 for each incandescent bulb swapped, in addition to an orientation on energy efficiency.

Groups that exchanged the most bulbs include: the Waiakea Pirates softball team on Hawaii island (7,000 bulbs), Civil Air Patrol - Kihei Squadron on Maui (4,250 blubs) and Ka Waihona o Ka Na‘auao Charter School (3,060 bulbs) in Waianae, Oahu.

Community members who brought 10 or more bulbs to swap were entered in a prize raffle — and the prizes weren't shabby. They included a high-performance Giant bicycle from McCully Bicycle and an iPad2.

Blue Planet partners Hawaii Energy, DBEDT, Island Movers, GE and McCully Bicycle helped support the CFL fundraisers.

The RE Project: The Extreme Green Makeover team talks to 3rd- and 4th-graders at Kaimuki Y about energy efficiency. From L to R, Punahou grads Devon Nako, Colby Sameshina, Julian Juarez, Gordon Lai and students at the Y.

Before heading off to college in a few weeks, six students who recently graduated from Punahou will have made an impact on the Kaimuki Y on Waialae Avenue and students there.

The "RE Project: The Extreme Green Makeover" was part of a project for the Student Global Leadership Institute last summer. The theme last year was energy; this year it's health.

Their initial goal was ambitious.

They were aiming to completely retrofit the Kaimuki YMCA into a model for sustainable living, complete with solar heating systems, energy efficient appliances and lighting. They bartered with companies to supply some of these items, seeking to make a trade.

The list included a solar PV system, a solar pool water heater, Energy Star fridges, LED lamps and CFLs, energy efficient stove, power strips, auto-flush toilets and other green technology.

The four parts of the project were to 1) contact people in the community 2) complete an energy audit 3) retrofit and renovate the Y and 4) promote and educate.

Darren Kimura, president of Sopogy, volunteered to complete an energy audit of the Y last fall.

Hawaii Energy stepped up to the plate and offered some of the items in exchange for every additional 1,000 likes the team brought to its Facebook page. So an e-gauge is now part of the deal.

Just last week, the students were back at the YMCA talking to third- and fourth-graders about energy efficiency. They talked about oil and where it comes from (not anywhere in Hawaii), ways to save energy at home and what an EnergyStar appliance is.

Students, donning green hats, walked around the facility to hunt for high-energy users at the Y, identified by a paper lightning bolt. They looked at air-conditioners, the refrigerator and computers. What part of the Y uses the most energy? Turns out it's the swimming pool.

To demonstrate the difference between an incandescent light bulb and CFL (compact fluorescent light), student volunteers went up to turn a hand crank. It takes a lot more cranking to get the incandescent bulb to turn on, much less effort to turn on the CFL. They learned what a smart strip was, and how it could save energy if devices are plugged into one that shuts off automatically at night. They even learned a little bit about global warming, beach erosion and sea level rise.

Kaimuki Y student colors a page with a tip on how to save energy at home.

Afterwards, students colored pages with suggestions on how to save energy, like: "Turn off lights when not in use" and "Remove plugs when not in use" to laminate and take home.

Noa Hussey, the Y's branch executive, said the facility is exploring ways to become more energy efficient and cut back on energy costs. Some of that can happen with simple steps and others might take more investment and time to accomplish. The gears have started rolling, thanks to the project.

"The Y is about youth development, healthy living and social responsibility," said Hussey. "So this is actually the socially responsible thing to do."

Hawaii Energy agreed to supply an e-gauge, which helps monitor how much energy is being used in the facility - but it may take some time before it gets installed. The team is still anticipating that it will obtain a solar heater for the pool and replace the fridge and freezer in the kitchen with EnergyStar appliances.

What they certainly have accomplished is a new way of thinking and increased awareness among students and staff at the Y.

Though the students won't be passing on the project, they've jumpstarted something positive and hopefully it will continue — and they'll go on to make positive changes in the world. All are interested in sustainability for the future.

Gordon Lai heads to UC Berkeley to study business, Colby Sameshina will pursue environmental studies at Tufts University, Devon Nako studies business (with a possible focus on the green energy sector later on) at Creighton University and Julian Juarez heads to Willamette University. Whatever they do later in life, they'll make a difference.

For updates on the RE Project, visit the Extreme Green Project Facebook page.

There's this Hawaiian Electric Co. commercial that ran at the start of the year, as part of a series of ads aiming to educate the public (and paid for with shareholder funds).

No, not the one where Jade Moon interviews HECO executive Robbie Alm. It's the one where Jade Moon interviews two HECO representatives — Ka‘iulani De Silva from education and consumer affairs and Blaine Cacho, an account manager.

The script goes something like this.

Jade Moon: "Does conservation really work?"

Ka‘iulani De Silva (smiling sympathetically): "We know high electricity costs are frustrating for our customers. But simple steps can amount to surprising savings."

"That's right," chimes in Blaine Cacho, matter-of-factly. "If you turn off the air-conditioner and let the tradewinds cool your home, you can save more than $1,000 a year."

While watching this commercial or whatever you call it, I found myself talking to the TV. "But we don't have any air-conditioning in this house! Not even a window unit!" I said.

Summers are sweltering in our house. We turn on fans and desperately open up all of the windows, wishing the tradewinds would flow through the house (if only it was built with the windows facing the right direction). The best solution seems to be an escape to the beach.

Our electricity bill currently averages about $200 a month, which is about $50 higher than it was a few years ago (along with everybody else's).

Then Jade asks Blaine about a second refrigerator and he says if it's a really old model, it could be using up plenty of energy. Removing it, he says, could also save you more than $1,000 a year.

"But we don't have a second fridge!" I said. We only have one fridge. It isn't fancy, but it's not one of the old models, either.

The HECO representatives, with pleasant, wanting-to-help smiles, dole out more tips. Washing your laundry in cold water can save more than $800 a year, adds De Silva.

"But we already wash in cold water!" I told the folks on T.V. "We've been doing that for years."

So seriously, what more can we do? HECO has a whole slew of publications with more energy-saving tips which you can find by clicking on "Energy Savings Toolkit." You have the "Power to Save" pamphlet as well as the "101 Ways to Save" brochure and the "Energy Tips & Choices" booklet. HECO does do a good job of putting out all these education pamphlets.

Still, our bill hasn't gone down much lately.

Did I mention that we already have a solar water heater and that we line-dry, too? Well, most of the time. On rainy days, we do resort to the dryer.

Lately, I've been walking around the house, flipping off the lights (yes, powered by energy-efficient compact fluorescents, mind you) and switching off various power strips at night, too. I bought an energy-saving "smart" power strip which keeps the DVD player from sucking out energy when it's not in use.

Since 2010, monthly bills have risen by 50 percent, says Alm, almost all of it due to oil. In the wake of the tsunami in Japan, oil has largely replaced nuclear energy, causing prices in the Asia Pacific region to skyrocket.

The cost of electricity is only going one way – up. You know what I think? I think it's time to go solar. The federal and state tax credits are still available, and there's still enough room in plenty of neighborhoods without HECO's concerns about destabilizing their circuits.

Do you know how much solar PV there is on your street? You can look it up on this map.

Stay tuned.

Volunteers help count Hawaiian humbpack whales at "Shark's Cove" on Oahu's North Shore. Photo by Jeremy Mitchell/Courtesy of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries.

St. Patrick's Day may be over, but there are plenty of "green" things to do over the next few weekends. Here's a roundup:

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 24: Aloha Aina Earth Day Recycling Community Cleanup. Do some spring cleaning and haul your recyclables to Moanalua Middle School and Moanalua Elementary School for an Aloha Aina Earth Day recycling/ yard sale event.

The following items will be accepted free of charge: scrap metal, HI-5 beverage containers, used cooking oil, computers, printers, scanners, monitors, cell phones, newspaper, cardboard, phonebooks, magazines, all types of batteries, TVs (one per car), used eyeglasses and hearing aids, sneakers, DVDs, CDs, plastic playground sets,  and reusable clothing and household items. Contact Erin Kealoha Fale at 586-9470 (office) or 277-9445 (on-site) for more information.

8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 31: Count the whales. Spaces still remain for volunteers to help in the final count of humpback whales around the Hawaiian islands. Volunteers will count the number of humpback whales seen around the islands over a four-hour period and record their behavior. To register, go to sanctuaryoceancount.org. To find out more, go to hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

9 a.m. to noon, on Saturday, March 31: Beach cleanup at Kewalo Basin, Oceandig. This beach cleanup, organized by Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, promises to be rewarding with a potluck-style BBQ and raffles, games and prizes. Join Oceandig, the After Party later at 6 p.m. at Fresh Cafe in Kakaako to discuss ocean sustainability, watch "Bag It" and listen to live music from local reggae artist Mike Love of Dubkonscious and former American Idol contestant Paula Fuga (who's collaborated with Jack Johnson).

8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31: Earth Hour. The Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui is planning to participate in Earth Hour 2012, a global environmental awareness event organized by the World Wildlife Fund. At 8:30 p.m. Hawaii time, all 60 of the Fairmont's world-class hotels and resorts will go dark to draw attention to climate change. The Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui will switch off non-essential lighting and encourage guests to turn on flashlights located in each guest room and from their lanai. The hotel will also illuminate its main entrance with more than 200 floating candles in the lobby fountain along with live, unplugged entertainment in Luana Lounge. To participate in Earth Hour, turn off your lights for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m.

PACT Keiki Day's Writing and Art Contest is themed "Energy Super Heroes." Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 29.

Parents and Children Together (PACT) has launched a Writing and Art Contest for Oahu students in partnership with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii Energy.

Students in grades 1 through 12 are invited to express themselves by submitting original stories, poems or artwork related to the theme of "Energy Super Heroes." One winner per grade will be selected. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 29.

Keiki are encouraged to think about energy conservation and how to change energy-wasting habits, plus brainstorm a zero-energy home for an Energy Super Hero and share fun indoor or outdoor activities that can be done without electricity.

Winning submissions will be published in the special PACT Keiki Day edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on May 9 (available for purchase throughout Oahu with proceeds to benefit PACT and its 15 programs). Each winner also receives more than $100 in cash and prizes.

Art pieces should be no larger than 18-inches by 24-inches and written work should be on longer than 350 words. Print complete information on the back of each entry, including: name, address, phone number, grade level, school name and teacher's name. All entries become the property of PACT and Hawaii Energy.

Participating students may download a submission form at pactkeikiday.org, then mail or deliver their entries to:

Parents And Children Together Keiki Day, PACT
1485 Linapuni Street, Suite 105
Honolulu, HI 96819

If you have questions, call Norma at 847-3285 Ext. 711 or visit www.pactkeikiday.org.