Our energy future

What should Kaua‘i’s energy future look like?

Should we develop more solar? What role should hydro power play? And what about biofuels? Who should make these important decisions for our community? What is the role of the average resident when it comes to addressing these issues?

On the surface, the idea of every resident having a direct stake in the issue might seem overly idealistic. Groups of vocal advocates (this author included) have at times played some small role in the success — or as often the defeat — of various energy initiatives put forward on Kaua‘i. But why are more people not involved, and why is it primarily when we oppose something that we seem to be able to pull together and effect change?

And why is energy such a pervasive problem, you might ask? Let’s face it, reducing our fossil fuel dependence is not exactly a new initiative. We’ve been engaged in efforts to end our oil dependence on Kaua‘i for almost a decade now, and that doesn’t even count all the past efforts in recent memory. There are several significant energy planning initiatives that are ongoing on Kaua‘i today. The Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan, the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, and the KIUC Strategic Plan are three that have particular relevance to our Island.

These efforts include a lot of smart people and some reasonable strategies for approaching the problem. They have similar objectives — to end our severe dependence on oil by improving our efficiency and producing more clean energy locally. Simple, yes? Not so fast. Anyone older than 50 years old likely remembers hauntingly similar plans and strategies that were dreamed up in the 1970s, yet here we are again, still facing the very same challenges. Why can’t we solve this once and for all? After all, we put a man on the moon in a decade, we can do anything we set our minds to, right?

The good news is that we have made some real progress. Our young community cooperative, KIUC, is leading the state with impressive number of photovoltaic projects integrated to our small Island grid. And lots of individual homeowners and businesses are doing the same.

Working together, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and our County Council continue to show a very strong commitment to reducing energy use, both within local government and in the broader community. Kaua‘i Community College today offers an amazingly broad array of coursework focused on renewable energy technologies. Examples of leadership in energy abound here on the Garden Isle.

Yet with all this, I can’t tell you how often I still hear people say that they just don’t have time in their busy lives to think about energy. That is certainly an understandable viewpoint, particularly in this difficult economy. “Leave it to KIUC or to our elected leaders to deal with” is often the attitude, followed by a healthy diversity of opinions about the capacity of such entities to move the ball forward.

If I have learned one thing in my few years working in this area it is this: This challenge belongs to all of us. It is truly our shared kuleana. For decades we have been able to quietly “export” our energy problems as we imported fossil fuels from faraway locations where their impacts were made invisible to us. However, we all know that continuing to do so will only defer the problem. Although not everyone can afford to engage in the solutions, everyone does have a stake in the issue.

So perhaps the question is less “Should we develop more solar?” or “What role should hydro power play?” and more about “How can we help our families solve these problem?” and “How can we empower our diverse communities to find their own solutions?”

Unlike going to the moon, solving our energy problems is not at all a question of technology. Here on Kaua‘i, it is a question of people, and if you ask me, that’s why our energy future looks so bright.

• Ben Sullivan is the Energy Coordinator for the County of Kaua‘i. He works with a great team of people in the county Office of Economic Development, where he welcomes the daily opportunity to help Kaua‘i people solve their energy challenges.