Personal windmills (Hana, Maalaea: credit, big house, water heater)

[MsKapiolani]

Many people mentioned that electricity is outrageous in Hawaii. Do local laws allow personal windmills? Has anyone tried it? Thanks!

[Calico Salsa]

Not sure, but I believe windmills require an extensive permitting process, and I wouldn't be surprised if they also require some kind of environmental approval too.

Solar is more feasible, and there is an excellent tax credit available. Currently up to $7k per year. A neighbor is installing phase one now, spending $14k and getting back $7k. Then early next year he will install phase two - another $14k spend with $7k return. That should get him to not buying electricity at all.

Currently your meter won't ever go backwards - that is, you don't get income from Maui Electric, but you can get your bill down to zero.

Here's one source for solar power information:
HNU Photonics

[MsKapiolani]

Calico Salsa,

Thanks so much for sharing the information! It sounds like solar is good alternative. We will have to research more on it. Thanks!

[Jungjohann]

Actually there is a guy up in Maui Meadows who installed photovoltaic panels on his roof a few years ago, he was generating more electricity than he was using, and Maui Electric ended up having to pay HIM!!! You would think that with the almost constant sunshine over here, more developers would install solar panels, both for hot water and electricity. Intial cost would be high, but in the long run you would be able to tell the electric company, "Hana imai okolepuka", won't tranlsate that, but you get the idea. I think, that on a windy day here on Maui, when the trades are really cranking through the valley, those windmills out in Maalaea account for about 20% of our electricity. They had a really big windmill out by the power plant in the early eighties, as I recall, it lost a blade, couldn't handle the trades.......

Aloha and okolemaluna

[Calico Salsa]

I don't think that's accurate. Maui Electric doesn't have the system for energy storage, so they aren't buying back electricity from anyone as yet. They need extensive upgrades to their systems before they can handle more alternative energy, or to track, store, measure, and pay out energy produced by anyone else. I'm all for them doing it, but lots of money would need to be invested in that, and it's a private company.

At most, one reduces your own bill to zero, by having the means to generate your own electricity and to store it locally for your own use. In a very general sense, you are helping 'your neighbors' by having that energy available on the grid, but you aren't getting any cash back.

The Maui Ocean Center recently installed some smaller windmills, they look to be about 4' tall, and are in a line along their wall facing their parking lot. These are helping to provide power for their own use. Based at Ma'alea Harbor, there is plenty of wind, so they are up there frantically spinning. I saw them last night, and was surprised that windmill had gotten so small. I looked for an online article about them, but can't find one.

As the technology gets better, and windmills get smaller, it's possible that permitting would be much easier. In the past, the windmills had to be fairly large, and they potentially had an impact on the wildlife and your neighbors. Someday soon it could be that we can have them on our roof as easily as we have cooling turbines.

[MsKapiolani]

Calico Salsa & Jungjohann, thanks for very much for sharing!

[Sweetbeet]

Over here on Kauai, KIUC (electric co.) does not have enough storage to handle all of the electricity generated by clients with solar. I have heard that they are working frantically to develop it. I know they used to pay people for 'trons put back into the system, but don't know if they still do that (maybe for the folks who are grandfathered). One can always put in one's own bank of batteries to store excess 'trons and use them, say, at night, but it is more expensive to add storage to a PV system.

The tax credits are good, there is a Federal one and a state one. The Federal one (at least for solar water heaters) is due to expire at the end of 2008, but many people think it will be renewed. Many people have solar water heaters and more are installing them. I have heard (don't know if it's true) that the state (HI) has mandated solar water heaters for all (or maybe some) new residential construction, beginning (?? soon?).

Island School installed one very small windmill on the roof at least a year ago, and I've heard that they are saving $100/month on their electric bill. I think they plan to put in a few more. I have not seen any 'big' windmills here but I think there may be a few somewhere on the island.

We are planning on installing a solar water heater within the next few weeks, I think it costs about $7000 but you get back half that in tax credits. We are also thinking about some PV panels and a solar electric system. My sister had almost 100% solar electric in NY (cloudy! NY), she was off the grid and had a small generator. She had a large battery bank. Here, we would not put in batteries at first, just use what we can generate during the day. But we are planning on designing the system (having a pro design it, that is) so that we can add generating power (PVs) as we can afford them, and possibly also add storage.

[peahigirl]

I don't know what the electric bill is here as I have been off the grid for almost 30 years , but I've heard the horror stories. I can't imagine having to pay that much for power.

I don't do windmills only because of my lack of mechanical know-how and a profound fear of heights. Photovoltaics are my cup of tea...quiet too.

With our environment here, you can easily live off the grid. You just need the extra awareness it takes and ability to adjust for different conditions. BYW, I do my own water catchment too.

[MsKapiolani]

Thanks so much for the information, guys! We currently live in the Midwest and our eletricity bills are normally under $100/month. We were so shocked when we heard (on this forum) that people in Hawaii pay $300, $400, $500 or even over more for electricity. That's why we started researching on the alternatives so that we know what our options are when we move to Oahu. So far, the information you have shared with us is very helpful. If you have more tips on how to save energy, please do share!

[newUHprof]

I think a lot of the high utility prices depend on where & how you live. I'm up on a hill, and up on a high floor in a corner unit. We don't have or need A/C. Through the hot summer months, we just had all of our windows open and got great cross breezes. When the trades weren't blowing, we added a fan. We have lots of windows and natural light, so we never turn on lights during the day... don't need to.

We moved here from New England. The $600 heating bills (and we did *not* have a large house) are a thing of the past. We spend less than $100 per month on electric. I think the folks with those outrageous bills have big houses with A/C and run it all day long... that's all I can imagine to make the bill so high.