Jan TenBruggencate, a three-year member of the KIUC Board of Directors, was raised on Moloka‘i, graduated in journalism and English from the University of Hawai‘i and has lived on Kaua‘i since 1971. He is a former science and environment writer for The Honolulu Advertiser, has written several books and operates the communications consulting firm, Island Strategy. He is currently chair of the County Charter Review Commission and a member of the state Civil Defense Advisory Council.
What could KIUC do differently to include more members in its decision-making policies?
This is a work in progress. We are far more open and inclusive than even a few years ago and we are constantly experimenting with new ideas to better involve the membership and to assess the views of our members.
We’re active in the social media. Example: www.facebook.com/KauaiCoop. Our fine communications team, led by Jim Kelly and Shelley Paik, is constantly improving our bi-monthly magazine, Currents.
We are planning a new series of public meetings — more on that soon. And you can email the board directly at kiucbod@hawaii.rr.com.
What could you as a KIUC board member do to reduce energy costs, besides promoting energy savings?
We can continue to sign contracts for renewable energy at less — in some cases far less — than the cost of oil-fired power. That will drive electricity costs down over time. The cost of fossil fuel alone takes up more than half of KIUC’s annual budget.
But we are also supporting KIUC’s excellent staff in trimming operations costs, working with legislators to cut unnecessary regulatory expenses and providing incentives to our staff for operating our equipment as efficiently as possible. That translates into lower costs for everyone. It will be a couple of years before our initiatives hit the bottom line, but that isn’t far off.
What is the biggest challenge facing Kaua‘i in terms of energy?
There are several. If I had to pick one, it’s probably the engineering challenge of integrating into our grid the massive amounts of solar we’re bringing onto our system. We will shortly have more solar on our grid than any other U.S. utility, and the average cost of that solar will be significantly lower than oil-fired power.
Why are you running for the board? What can you bring to the table?
I am running to help change the status quo — to help our members use less energy and at the same time reduce the cost of the energy they do use. I am prepared to grapple with our complex issues and to take a long-term view. For example; it might seem attractive right now to leap into natural gas, since the prices appear cheap. But it’s still a fossil fuel, there is still a supply risk since it inevitably comes from far away, it still involves shipping dollars off-island (compared to locally sourced energy generation), there are immense upfront infrastructure costs, and, with regard to price, natural gas is at historic low-cost, but still has the risk of dramatic price hikes. That’s not to say we shouldn’t consider it, but rather that we study and understand all the issues before we leap.
