Posted on: Monday, November 26, 2001

Editorial
Hawai'i is an ideal lab for wind, solar energy

It took rolling blackouts to awaken San Francisco to the need for alternative energy. More than 70 percent of the city's voters recently passed Proposition B, which will funnel $100 million into wind and solar energy.

The Aloha State is sunnier, and, in some areas, windier than California's foggy City by the Bay. So what will it take to get Hawai'i to seriously invest in wind and solar energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels?

It's encouraging, of course, that the Navy is trying to harness the power of ocean waves to power Marine Corps Base Hawai'i in Kane'ohe. The military, after all, has a lot to gain from reducing its dependence on oil.

But so do civilians.

As it stands, Hawai'i gets most of its oil from Indonesia and Alaska, which makes us uncomfortably dependent on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries for power generation and gasoline supplies.

And what about pollution and global warming?

The Environmental Protection Agency's San Francisco office recently issued the results of a court-ordered review of Hawai'i's polluted areas in 1998. The review found evidence of pollution in 111 coastal waters and streams, including Hanauma Bay and Bellows Beach. Silt, trash, excess nutrients and fossil fuels are to blame.

We can't let pollution mar our reputation as a pristine vacation destination, so let's take a serious look at clean energy.

Right now, there are scattered efforts around the Islands to develop alternative energy sources.

Hawaiian Electric Co. boasts a successful solar water heating program. And the Kailua Neighborhood Board is pushing for the city to spend $100,000 to study the feasibility of using solar energy to cool city buildings.

If San Francisco can rally voters to get behind alternative energy, then so can we.