Richard Ha writes:
I’ve found it takes about a month for me to assess what I learn at Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) conferences. And it’s been about a month now since I returned from the most recent conference, my fifth one.
As we start a new year, I can say that I am very optimistic about our prospects on the Big Island. Our new County Council is thinking about the whole island, not just East vs. West. The Big Island Community Coalition has shown that people can indeed draw a line in the sand and make a difference on electricity price issues.
This is truly about all of us; not just a few of us. Instead of focusing on the thousand reasons why “No can,” we need to form into communities of people who agree on the one reason why CAN:
For the greater good.
The U.S. shale, gas and oil boom will not last forever. But it does give us some time to position the Big Island to be a better place for future generations. It is about utilizing low cost options, and it is about taking care of our community. Doing these things will make all of us more prosperous.
Making electricity cheaper will not act to reduce use.
The best approach is to monetise electricity by creating ‘Prepay’ units returnable in payment for electricity, and then to distribute these units as an ‘energy dividend’ as of right to Big Island citizens.
They may then exchange these units against use; save them and exchange them for other value, or invest them in energy saving projects.
A Big Island ‘Green Deal’ is then possible.
eg
http://www.bristol247.com/2012/12/11/how-bristol-can-introduce-a-truly-green-deal-49013/
Also it would be possible for HECO to repay existing interest-bearing debt and to become customer owned by raising finance through ‘Prepayment’ of electricity.
ie replacing existing dollar debt with ‘electricity loans’ repayable in electricity but priced in dollars.