BOP’n around the islands: on community energy strategy
Who was it that said “if ya can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em”? (OK, so I flipped that phrase…heh)
“Beat ‘em” might be used advisedly here to describe an alternative strategy– more of a ‘bottom-of-the-pyramid’ (BOP) approach– for moving our islands’ renewable energy conversion along a lot faster…Now that I won’t be sitting on the KIUC Board.
Turns out, there’s a burgeoning alternative energy movement across the islands that poses both great opportunities and significant challenges for electric utilities and for communities now switching away from fossil fuels.
The opportunity is to integrate many different green energy generation sources within a distributed system.
And the challenge is to incentivize all stakeholders to participate while maintaining reliable energy.
‘Tis not as simple as it seems, nor are our utilities yet on a strategic path to accommodate multiple stakeholders.
Instead, utilities in Hawaii (and virtually everywhere) are inclined to view bottom-up energy solutions as a threat to their traditional business model.
Meanwhile, sustainability advocates point to the equity principle as a prime motivator for an energy strategy that builds from the bottom up.
After all, who needs access to inexpensive energy more than Hawaii’s poorest households? And who is least able to install independent energy solutions than those at the bottom of our economic pyramid?
Righto! So, let’s look more closely at these prospects for community-based energy solutions.
In the weeks ahead, I’ll post more inspiring examples of how this is being done elsewhere, and invite a broader inquiry into the equity dimensions of island energy strategy.
Chime in!
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