LIHUE — Energy affordability was one of the topics that took center stage Wednesday night during a forum for the five candidates of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board of directors. The forum at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School was a
LIHUE — Energy affordability was one of the topics that took center stage Wednesday night during a forum for the five candidates of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board of directors.
The forum at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School was a chance for Kauai residents to learn about the issues facing the board and what ideas and expertise candidates bring to the table. About 25 people attended.
The five candidates — Carol Bain of Puhi, Hermina M. Morita of Hanalei, Calvin K. Murashige of Lihue,· Bill Peterson of Kapaa and Jan TenBruggencate of Lihue, are running for three seats on the nine-member board.
Directors serve three-year terms. Ballots were mailed starting Tuesday. The deadline to turn in ballots is March 12. Members can vote by paper ballot, phone or online.
Candidates agreed affordable energy is key.
“Our existing measures to help low-income residents are absolutely not adequate,” said Jan TenBruggencate, current board chair. “We have more rates for people who have lower use.”
Changing the rate structure so it’s fair for everyone is a priority, he said.
Bain, also an incumbent, said, “We work to find assistance for people who need assistance paying their electric bills. Economic times are difficult, and if we can find ways to improve it, all the better.”
Current board member Murashige said affordability and efficiency go hand-in-hand.
“We’re looking at incentives to encourage members to use the time of day when the sun is the brightest to wash their clothes, dry their clothes and run the dishwasher,” he said.
He suggested installing timers on water heaters so they turn on during the day and can draw power from the sun.
Morita, a former state representative and a former chair of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, said the board needs to think of new ways to provide better service for low-income families.
“Lower-income families usually don’t have the cash to put out to buy efficient refrigerators, so we need to look at more innovative programs to do more outreach for that sector,” she said.
One way to reach low-income families is using a prepaid card with an electricity budget, she said.
“It gives a little more transparency about how much electricity customers use and it gets that information to them,” she said.
Affordability will continue to be a problem, said Bill Peterson, a retired information technology professional.
He suggested getting representation for low-income families and providing no-cost or low-cost loans.
“As we go forward with renewable’s and conserve more energy the rate structures have to change,” he said.
TenBruggencate spoke about KIUC’s achievements and what the board needs to do in the future.
KIUC is expected to reach its goal of using renewable resources to generate 50 percent of the island’s power by 2023, about six years early. Roughly 40 percent of the island’s power is generated by sun, water and other resources, he said.
He is looking forward to a time when 100 percent of the island’s energy is powered by renewable resources.
He knows it’s possible because when the cooperation set the goal 10 years ago, they didn’t know how to reach 50 percent.
“But we found our way, and we got there,” he said.
Peterson said he was passionate about the future of rooftop solar.
“I’m not talking about the large, $40 million facilities on ag lands,” he said. “I’m talking about small-scale systems paid for by our customers that are installed on their roofs that provide clean energy to sustain us all.”
Another option is the use of pumped storage hydro, a system that uses an upper storage pond in Kokee as a way to power the island at night.
The pond will be connected to a lower pond via a five-mile steel pipeline. During the day, solar power will be used to push water uphill to the storage pond. At night, the water would be released, downhill, to turn a turbine and generate electricity.
The pumped storage project is one of the most important issues facing KIUC, Bain said.
“It’s one of the reasons why I’m running,” she said. “This project would provide reliable energy for about 100 years in the future.”
