In the April 4, 2018 episode of Hawaiʻi, State of Clean Energy, Professor Wallsgrove (’08) co-hosted with Jay Fidell to talk with some of the Richardson students about the energy projects they are working on and what their thoughts on what the future may look like (at 13:00 on the clip below).  The student guests joining the episode were Chase Livingston, Magdalena Bajon, Kevin Yolkien, and Tara Hicks.

Livingston has been studying a recent Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) application for a solar plus storage project on Molokaʻi, contributing nearly 45% of the island’s 100% renewable portfolio standard goal(at 14:00 on the clip below).  Livingston is analyzing the benefits of this project to its community across the island and state of Hawaiʻi.  

Bajon is currently studying whether real estate investment trusts could be a beneficial vehicle for renewable energy investment(at 17:00 on the clip below).  Bajon explains that this vehicle could allow for the expansion of the sector and allow investors to provide funding, and also mentioned the tax benefits and lower cost possibilities associated with this method.  The community on Molokaʻi could potentially use a real estate investment trust that allows small investments such as owning projects such as the one described by Livingston to happen.

Yolkin is looking at how solar development could be furthered on the Department of Hawaiian Homelands property and how community members can get involved in these projects through an investment plan rather than only renewable energy companies controlling the projects(at 24:15 on the clip below).  Meanwhile, Hicks is working on a project related to how renewable energy policies could be imported from places such as Hawai’i to other areas like her home state of Virginia (at 28:30 on the clip below).  Virginia currently only has a voluntary Renewable Energy Portfolio goal that was enacted in 2007.  This episode highlighted the importance of community involvement and investment in renewable energy and the projects that aim to further the community’s renewable energy standards.

The entire interview can be viewed here:

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April 18, 2018 — ats