Electric Vehicles Come to Hawaii

Blog post from U.S. Dept. of Energy:

Hawaii Energy Program Brings Electric Vehicles to the Big Island

January 31, 2012 

Last July, Governor Neil Abercrombie unveiled the first public charging station installed in the state capitol’s underground parking garage with the "Hawaii EV Ready" program. In 2011, rebates were approved for 237 electric vehicles and 168 chargers. | Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

By 2030, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative will:

• Generate 40 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy sources.
• Implement energy efficiency measures to cut energy demand by 30 percent.

Hawaii is the most oil dependent state in the nation with more than 95 percent of its energy supplied by imported fossil fuels. Gas and electricity prices are also far above the national average. To increase its energy independence, Hawaii is revving up its state electric vehicle program, “EV Ready,” thanks to $4.5 million in funding from the Energy Department’s State Energy Program and the Recovery Act.

As part of the program administered by Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), residents and businesses can apply for rebates and grants to purchase electric vehicles and construct charging stations. In 2011, rebates were approved for 237 electric vehicles and 168 chargers.  

Last July, Governor Neil Abercrombie unveiled the first public charging station installed in the state capitol’s underground parking garage. Since then, five additional charging stations have been installed at state-owned buildings in Honolulu, and another eight chargers at the motor pool for the state's new fleet of electric vehicles.

The state awarded another $2.6 million in Recovery Act funds to six organizations charged with promoting, installing and deploying charging stations and electric vehicles across the state. Those organizations so far have installed 220 charging stations at 120 sites, introduced 18 EVs to public and private fleets, promoted the benefits of EVs to the hospitality industry and developed the "Hawaii EV Ready Guidebook."

Transportation fuel accounts for 30 percent of liquid fuel consumption in the state, or 75 million gallons per year. Measures associated with the EV Ready program aim to reduce Hawaii’s ground transportation fuel use by 70 percent by 2030.

The EV Ready program aligns with the goals of the broader Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), a public-private partnership between Hawaii, the Energy Department and other governmental and private groups. The initiative intends to generate 40 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, and implement energy efficiency measures to cut energy demand by 30 percent.

KCP&L Plan Shifts to Efficiency

The following excerpt is from an article in today's Kansas City Star about a local electric utility, Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L), that is making energy efficiency a part of its business model.  Previously, KCP&L's energy efficiency efforts were done primarily for public relations.  But a new Missouri law makes it profitable for KCP&L to pursue energy efficiency seriously.

The following excerpt gives an idea of what the article is about.  More details are available in the complete article.

KCP&L plan shifts to efficiency, seeks payback for saving energy

By STEVE EVERLY

The Kansas City Star

Friday, December 23, 2011

Kansas City Power & Light, in a historic shift for the utility, filed plans Thursday with Missouri regulators to sell less electricity.

The company, like other utilities in the region, has depended on selling electricity to recover its costs and earn a profit. Building more power plants was the gauge for its success. Its conservation efforts, such as rebates to customers for buying energy-efficient air-conditioners, were pilot programs and not part of KCP&L’s long-term plans.

But the company says it’s time for a change, for energy efficiency to take on a more serious role. So its latest plan takes advantage of new Missouri regulations that make it possible for utilities to curb consumption and not be penalized financially.

And customers, though they might pay higher rates initially to help cover the upfront costs of conservation efforts, are expected to eventually see lower rates after the efficiencies start paying off.

The combination, say the utility’s officials, convinced them that for the first time energy efficiency should have an official place in its business plans.

The plan, as conceived, would ensure a sustained program that includes rebates for commercial and residential customers who buy energy-efficient equipment and lighting. There would also be rebates for disposing of inefficient air-conditioners and refrigerators. Other programs include telling residential customers how their electric usage compares with others in similarly sized homes, and what can be specifically done to reduce consumption.

KCP&L would give the program $25 million a year, which would be expected to eventually save the utility much more than that. The rule of thumb is that it costs one-fifth as much, or less, to eliminate the need for a kilowatt of electricity as it does to produce that much electricity. So the savings could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars over a few years.

A problem in the past has been figuring out how to encourage utililty convervation efforts, because they reduce electricity sales and thus cut into revenue. In addition, utilities haven’t always been able to build the costs of conservation efforts into their electricity rates.

But in 2009, state legislators passed the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act, which called for treating investments in curbing consumption in the same way as investments to deliver electricity. It took a couple of years to work out the regulations to put the law into effect, including how to measure energy savings.