Hawai‘i to Become a "Better Place"

Richard Ha writes:

Do you know about Better Place coming to Hawai‘i?

Better Place is working to build an electric car network, using technology available today. Our goals? Sustainable transportation, global energy independence and freedom from oil.

Shai Agassi is founder and CEO of Better Place, and in the following video he talks about his mission. His company has a plan to take entire countries oil-free by 2020.

From ted.com: Agassi stunned the software industry in 2007 by resigning from SAP to focus on his vision for breaking the world's fossil-fuel habit, a cause he had championed since his fuse was lit at a Young Global Leaders conference in 2005. Through his enthusiastic persistence, Agassi's startup Better Place has signed up some impressive partners -- including Nissan-Renault and the countries of Israel and Denmark.

Electric vehicles for our transportation needs are starting to come into focus. Better Place has announced that it is partnering with Hawai‘i to make mass adoption of electric vehicles powered by renewable energy a reality in the state by 2012.

From Better Place:

The state’s partnership with Better Place will play a significant role in the economic growth of Hawaii and will serve as a model for the rest of the U.S. for how green technology infrastructure can fuel job creation. The implementation of electric infrastructure will reignite the Hawaii economy with local jobs, while creating a model for renewable energy growth. It will also expose the millions of annual visitors to Hawaii to the real possibilities of life with clean energy and renewable fuel.

A bill currently going through the Hawai‘i State Legislature will require that large parking facilities have charging stations for electric vehicles.

People are even developing heavy transportation electric vehicles.

Why is Hamakua Springs Country Farms interested in electric cars?

It's because we are building a hydroelectric plant, where we will generate electricity from water that runs through a flume on our property. We will sell the excess electricity back to the public utility.

We wonder how farmers everywhere in Hawai‘i can participate in renewable energy production.

Oil is a finite resource and world population is increasing at the rate of 70 million annually. We all know that oil prices will rise to unbearable heights in the future.

We also know that our food security depends on Hawai‘i's farmers farming, and making enough money that they stay in farming. How can we position our farmers so they make money on renewable energy they generate on their farm, in addition to the money they make farming? Because we know that if the farmers make money, the farmers will farm.

Renewable energy production is capital-intensive, not labor-intensive. There is no weeding, spraying, plowing or harvesting. Once a renewable energy project is installed, the farmer can go back to farming.

In conjunction with this need for food security, I suggested to the Farm Bureau that we initiate a bill that would authorize preferential rates of return for bonafide farmers who produce renewable energy. HB 591 HD1 SD2 is likely to be passed by the Legislature this session.

If the farmers make money, the farmers will farm. And then we will have food security.

Comments

[damon]

Yes Richard...

I was the FIRST IN THE STATE TO BLOG ABOUT THIS...

BEFORE GOV. Lingle even really knew much about the project.

Sept. 7, 2008:

http://damontucker.com/2008/09/07/project-better-place-coming-to-hawaii/

And I've blogged all about the project ever since:

http://damontucker.com/?s=project+better+place

(5 -6 pages of posts on the subject)

;)

[Sonia]

This sounds VERY exciting! Since we saw the little electric car at the CMP demonstration a couple of weeks back, we have been excited about the possibilities of vehicles powered by renewable energy.
So glad to see something like this happening where Hawaii can be a leader in the movement.

[Richard]

Howzit Damon:
Things are moving rapidly now. I attended the signing of the renewable energy farm loan bill in July 08. http://hahaha.hamakuasprings.com/2008/07/its-official-th.html.
Gov Lingle told how Israel was converting to electric transportation and that Hawaii was going to be involved as well. Since then, on your blog you've been on top of the Better Place model, although as you say, it is not clear that that model will win out in the marketplace.

[Richard]

Hi Sonia:
That car belongs to Barry Mizuno, the former manager of Puna
Geothermal Venture. It was very cute!! I think Barry said, thirty miles between charging and he charges it with an extension cord in his garage. Wouldn't it be great if there were a lot of them around all charging at night---off peak? HELCO could make money and we could get more green power on line. Stephanie Salazar of KHBC has one of those as well.