How Better Battery Storage Will Expedite Renewable Energy

by HEC Team | Feb 17, 2016 | 2016, News

Join us at the 2016 Maui Energy Conference, March 16-18, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, for the hottest topic in renewable energy: battery storage. The current issue is figuring out how and where to use batteries in a way that makes economic sense. While many companies are vying to be among the very first to get their methods and products in actual use, we are pleased to announce that the two industry leaders, Tesla Energy from the U.S. and Sonnenbatterie from Germany, will speak at the conference. Boris von Bormann will be speaking for Sonnen and Greg Callman for Tesla Energy.

Learn about the cost of a battery storage system that could be offset by services provided to the grid. Hear also about community energy storage for customers who already have solar. “For me, it feels like we are on the verge of something big here,” said Conference Program Committee Chair Doug McLeod. “The equipment is no longer hypothetical. The manufacturers are ready to sell batteries that are designed to work with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The utility already has 15-20% of its customers with rooftop solar. The question is how it all comes together.”

The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way. With the U.S. as a key global leader in the use of battery storage, you will hear firsthand how the upward trends for renewables are affecting our Maui economy and about the importance of battery manufacturing and storage. The conference sessions emphasize skills and knowledge in areas that are needed to offer renewable sustainability to businesses and to public and non-profit organizations.

“We are at an unusual moment in time when it comes to solar plus storage economics,” offered Sebastian “Bash” Nola, Renewable Energy Consultant and member of the Conference Program Committee. “The price of these batteries has fallen over the past few years, as has the PV cost, but the price of oil has fallen even faster. Battery plus solar now can produce power at a cost that a few years ago would have saved money for the average utility customer in Hawaii. However, all of us in the business are now trying to find places to use batteries that make economic sense at today’s lower utility costs.”

Better battery storage is crucial. Sun and wind energy are free, but because they are not constant sources of power, renewable energy is considered variable, affected by location, weather and time of day. Utilities need to deliver reliable and steady energy by balancing supply and demand. At the site of solar PV or wind turbines, batteries can smooth out the variability of flow, store excess energy when demand is low and release it when demand is high. For households, batteries can store energy for use anytime and provide back-up power in case of blackouts.

For some larger users of electricity, a battery might be able to pay for itself by reducing demand charges. It can level off a spike in demand by providing some of the power that would have been drawn from the utility. Also, under the proposed Demand Response Tariff, the utility would pay battery owners for providing services to the grid. In effect, many small power producers working together could become a ‘virtual power plant’, replacing some of the capacity of traditional oil-fired power plants.

At the conference you will learn about the many kinds of batteries available today. Depending on the function the battery serves, learn about the many different requirements for storage capacity, charging and discharging performance, response time, maintenance, safety and cost.

“Here on Maui, Haleakala Solar, Inc. has partnered with Sonnen while Rising Sun Solar has signed up with Tesla Energy,” said Frank De Rego Jr., Director of Business Development Projects, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. and member of the Conference Program Committee. “We are grateful to Kyle Datta from Ulupono Initiative for putting together the panel with Tesla, which will consider how storage fits in the broader picture of getting to 100% renewables. We are also grateful that Sonnen has accepted our invitation to speak about doing business in Hawaii.”

Maui’s Premier Event for Renewable Energy!

by HEC Team | Feb 15, 2016 | 2016, News

JOIN US AT
The Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Maui

The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Maui County and Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) are hosting the third annual Maui Energy Conference, March 16-18, 2016 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. As Maui’s leading event for the renewable energy industry, the 2016 Energy Conference provides a unique opportunity to share insights with the industry’s thought leaders while networking and conducting business, all under one roof.

In this fast-changing marketplace, the conference aims to promote environmentally safe and economically sustainable renewable energy solutions for Maui, Hawaii, and the nation. “The Conference will bring together some of the best minds in the energy sector from the county, the state and the nation,” said Frank De Rego Jr., Director of Business Development Projects at MEDB and member of the conference program committee. “The focus of discussion will be on achieving the Portfolio Standard for Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative’s 100% Renewable Energy by 2045, and its implications for the state’s energy future. The strengths of the conference over the years have been the high quality of its speakers and panelists as well as ample time to network.”

As the movement toward sustainable renewable energy gains momentum, join the energy experts and stakeholders to learn about the latest advances in clean energy. Learn how Hawaii plans to implement its new energy planning model. Learn how the model applies to your own energy goals. The conference will seek answers to the following questions: Are these targets realistic? Are the utilities on board? How do we mitigate disruptions of energy supply and price while we transition from carbon-based fuels to renewables? How important is having a diversified portfolio of renewable energy sources? How much will this really cost?

“The Renewable Portfolio Standard tells us when to achieve 100% renewables,” said Conference Program Committee Chair Doug McLeod. “This conference looks at all the other questions: How, Where, Why, and Who Pays are just a few of the obvious issues. Within How and Why are important sub-questions about fairness and respect for Hawaiian culture and the ‘aina.’”

An impressive program has been assembled with notable speakers. Bill Ritter Jr., former Governor of Colorado and founder and current director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, will present the keynote on “Powering Forward: What Everyone Should Know About America’s Renewable Energy Revolution.” Another invited presentation on “The Path to Moving Forward to 100% Renewable Energy” will be given by Jon Wellinghoff, the former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair, now an energy law attorney with Stoel Rives LLP. “Solar is growing so fast it is going to overtake everything,” asserted Wellinghoff.

Jared Stigge, Vice President of C.H. Guernsey & Company, will be presenting “The Guernsey Report: An Analysis of Alternative Utility Models for Maui County.” In the same session a representative of the Hawaii State Legislature will address the idea of a Maui municipal utility.

The conference also includes sessions on such topics as: Defining 100% Renewables; Community Acceptance of 100% Renewables; The Social Impacts of Pursuing a 100% Renewable Future; Educating Toward 100% Renewable Energy; Investing in Hawaii; The Hawaii Renewable Experience—What Can Be Replicated; Integration of Distributed Energy Resources; and Maui: A Case Study—Is This Where We’re All Headed?

Mark Glick has joined returning members Bash Nola, Colton Ching, Jay Griffin, Jonathan Koehn, Holly Benz and Frank De Rego Jr. on the 2016 conference planning committee. The Hawaiian Electric Companies will be represented by speakers Colton Ching, Vice President for Energy Delivery, and Shelee Kimura, Vice President for Corporate Planning and Business Development. Jonathan Koehn, the Regional Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Boulder, will also return as a speaker.

The exhibition segment of the conference gives networking opportunities to participants who want to generate business or collaborate to address common issues and concerns. The conference’s third day will move outdoors with two optional Maui Sustainability Mobile Workshops.

Contact Us
Visit us online or contact Sandy Ryan, Conference Director, at 808-875-2318 or by email.

Maui Energy Conference Will Tackle Major Issues

by HEC Team | Feb 8, 2016 | 2016, News

Originally posted on Ililani Media

The third annual Maui Energy Conference will be held from March 16-18, 2016 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The first and second conferences were very memorable.

“The RPS [Renewable Portfolio Standard] tells us when to achieve 100% renewables. This conference looks at all the other questions: How; Where; Why; and Who Pays are just a few of the obvious issues. Within ‘how’ and ‘why’ are important sub-questions about fairness and respect for Hawaiian culture and the ‘Aina,’” according to Conference Program Committee Chair Doug McLeod.

Read the full article on Iliani Media