Month: March 2012

BUSINESSES, STATE, AND MAUI COUNTY EARN HAWAII GREEN BUSINESS AWARDS

March 30, 2012

For Immediate Release: March 30, 2012

HONOLULU – A hotel that uses seawater for its cooling system, a theme restaurant that uses recycled construction materials in its flooring and a Big Island brewery that gets nearly half of its electricity from solar panels are among 15 companies and government agencies recognized today by Governor Neil Abercrombie at the annual “Hawaii Green Business Awards” ceremony.

“The state of Hawaii, Maui County and local businesses are leading by example, demonstrating that investing in energy efficiency, in recycling, and in preserving natural resources protects the environment and makes good business sense,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie. “By reducing the electricity and water they use and waste, these private and public sector innovators are helping our state reach the goal of 70 percent clean energy by 2030.”

This year’s awardees include a broad collection of local businesses and local government agencies, including hotels, architecture and engineering firms, Maui’s water utility, and a company that makes gourmet gelato. They are Hard Rock Café Waikiki : The theme restaurant, which is pursuing a prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council, uses recycled tile and bottle glass in its flooring and employs ultra‐efficient, Energy Star‐certified kitchen equipment, and LED lighting.

The Kahala Hotel and Resort: The Kahala Hotel and Resort cuts its energy costs by using seawater pumped from deep water wells to cool its chillers . The hotel also uses Energy Star-rated equipment, light sensors, low ceiling fans, and low‐flow showers and faucets to further cut energy and water usage.

Ferraro Choi and Associates: Ferraro Choi and Associates’ Ala Moana headquarters is one of the few offices in Hawaii to obtain the prestigious LEED Platinum designation. A state‐of‐the-art energy management system helped the company to operate 25 percent below a code compliant baseline and allows the firm to calculate its own carbon footprint on a daily basis.

Hau`oli Mau Loa Foundation: Another LEED Platinum designee, the Hau`oli Mau Loa Foundation’s downtown office uses translucent partitions and light reflective shelves to reduce energy usage. The foundation cut water use by 43 percent by installing low‐flow fixtures and by implementing green cleaning practices.

Kona Brewing Co.’s Kona Pub & Brewery: The Big Island brewery uses a solar photovoltaic system for 48 percent of its energy needs. The company also recycles the water that collects as condensation in its air conditioning system to irrigate plants, and saves over 53,000 gallons a year.

Kilauea Lakeside Estate: The Kilauea Lakeside Estate on Kauai gets almost all of its electricity from a solar photovoltaic system and produces nearly zero waste. The resort’s green waste is composted into mulch for botanical gardens, fruit orchards, and vegetable and herb gardens.

Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club: Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club recycles most of its construction and electronic waste and donates all HI‐5 recyclables to local high schools. Motion sensor light switches, and low‐flow water fixtures and toilets sharply reduce the resort’s water and energy usage.

Il Gelato Hawaii: The local gelato maker reuses its large tubs used to deliver its products, sparing Oahu’s landfills over 12,000 containers each year. The fast‐growing company was able to control its gasoline costs by improving the scheduling of its delivery and pick‐up routes.

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa: As part of a $13 million facelift to the third floor level of the Energy Star labeled Waikiki hotel, Hyatt Regency opted to use recycled glass planters and drought tolerant plants to help save more than 4.7 million gallons of water a year.

Central Pacific Plaza: The downtown high‐rise, which has earned the Energy Star designation for the past eight years, has reduced its energy usage by an average of 25 percent a year. The building’s water retrofits have saved over 2.7 million gallons since 2003.

Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel: As an Energy Star‐rated building, the Waikiki Beachcomber installed variable speed chillers and other energy efficiency measures, reducing energy use by over 20 percent, equivalent to 4,000kWh per day. An upgraded cooling tower saves more than 624,000 gallons of water each year.

The Ritz‐Carlton Kapalua Maui Resort and Luxury Hotel: By investing in computerized moisture sensing devices with its irrigation system and modifying irrigation schedules, the Ritz Carlton Kapalua sharply reduced its water usage. The hotel also installed LED lighting in public areas and adjusted hot water heater settings to cut energy use.

Honeywell Utility Solutions: Through the Hawaii Energy “Go Green” program, Honeywell helps Hawaii consumers qualify for incentives for installing solar water heaters or make other energy efficiency measures. At its own local offices, the company provided subsidized bus passes to employees, eliminated the use of all plastic utensils, and buys only recycled paper products.

County of Maui Water Resource and Planning Division: Water conservation awareness is a cornerstone of the utility’s marketing campaigns. By installing more efficient toilet fixtures and flow restrictors at its faucets, Maui’s Water Resources and Planning Division is leading by example. Since the retrofits were implemented, the division has cut water usage by 56 percent, or roughly 133 gallons a day.

The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Department of Accounting and General Services: As the state pursues LEED certification for the State Office Tower building downtown, high‐efficiency lighting, lighting sensors, low‐flush toilets, and low-flow faucets were installed. The savings were: 36,270 gallons of water a year and 100,000 kWh of electricity.

The Hawaii Green Business Awards Program is a partnership between the Hawaii State Department of Health, DBEDT, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the City and County of Honolulu’s Environmental Services Recycling Office, and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. The program encourages businesses and organizations to implement efficiency measures and share information and support each other in operating in an environmentally sustainable manner.

For more information, visit: https://energy.hawaii.gov/programs/achieving-efficiency/greenbusiness- program/hgbp-awardees or contact DBEDT program coordinators Gail Suzuki‐Jones or Jonathan Chin, at [email protected] (808) 587‐3802 or [email protected] (808) 587‐2676.

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For more information, contact:

Richard Lim
Director, DBEDT
Phone: (808) 586-2355

Rick Daysog
Communications Officer
Phone: (808) 587-9006

STATE ELECTRIC VEHICLE PROGRAM HITS MILESTONE

March 29, 2012

For Immediate Release: March 29, 2012

HONOLULU – The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism has announced the installation of more than 200 new electric vehicle charging stations at over 80 locations statewide, placing Hawaii in the national forefront for the deployment of public charging stations.

The new stations, made possible by $2.6 million in federal stimulus funding, will also include six fast-charging units that allow owners of Nissan Leafs, Mitsubishi I-MiEV and other plug-in EVs to re-charge their vehicles in less than 30 minutes.

By providing easy access at local parking garages, shopping centers, hotels and other attractions, the new chargers are helping Hawaii meet the demands of its growing electric vehicle market, reduce electric vehicle owners’ range anxiety when driving over long distances and will help reduce the state’s dependence on foreign oil.

“This makes owning an EV in Hawaii a real option for regular folks. We are now the leader in charging stations per person and this will create a market for clean cars,” said Lt. Governor Brian Schatz.

Details of the new charging equipment are among the highlights of this week’s First Hawaiian International Auto Show at the Hawaii Convention Center.

The new, publicly accessible chargers are being installed by private companies, Kauai County and the City and County of Honolulu, which were awarded more than $2.6 million last year by DBEDT’s EV Ready Grant Program. The developers include:

• AeroVironment, a leader in the EV industry, which is 75 charging stations in the islands. The Monrovia, Calif.-based company, which began working in Hawaii about a decade ago, also plans to install six, 480-volt fast charging stations around the state;
• Better Place, another global pioneer in the EV space, launched its Hawaii  Charge Spots in February. The Palo Alto-based company now has about 140 charging stations on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in operation;
• GreenCar Hawaii now has two chargers in Waikiki and plans to install others on Kauai;
• The City and County of Honolulu also plans to deploy eight chargers at several city parking facilities, including the Honolulu Zoo and Neal Blaisdell Center; and,
• Kauai County, which now has five stations online.

The nation’s EV structure is a fast-changing market that continues to develop rapidly around the country. But when you include the new 200 charger stations, Hawaii becomes the nation’s leader on a per-capita basis for public EV charging availability. The state will have one charging station for every 5,500 residents.

Oregon, which has the next highest ratio, has one charger for every 10,000 residents, followed by Washington where ratio is one charger for every 11,800 residents, according to figures provided by the U.S. Energy Department.

Launched in March 2011, DBEDT’s EV Ready Grant Program, is part of the Transportation Energy Diversification Project, which is supported by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The grant program complements the state’s EV Ready Rebate Program, which provides state incentives of up to $4,500 toward the purchase of new EVs and up to $500 for EV charging equipment.

A list of the publicly available EV charging stations in Hawaii can be found on the Charging Station Database at the State Energy Office’s website. (See: electricvehicle.hawaii.gov.)

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For more information, contact:

Mark Glick
Energy Program Administrator
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-3812

Rick Daysog
Communications Officer
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-9006

STATE REINVESTS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE REBATE PROGRAM

March 13, 2012

For Immediate Release: March 13, 2012

HONOLULU – With the increase in demand for electrical vehicles, the state of Hawaii is re-charging its highly successful EV Ready Rebate Program with an additional $350,000 for rebates on new electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and chargers. The state has also extended the deadline for the rebates from March 31 to Nov. 1, 2012.

“Expanding the EV Ready Rebate Program not only helps consumers today, it provides a long-term solution as we work towards reaching energy independence,” said Mark Glick, Energy Program Administrator for the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism’s State Energy Office. “The widespread adoption of EVs is critical if we are to reach the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative goal of displacing 385 million gallons of oil for ground transportation fuel by 2030. With the cost of gas persisting above $4 per gallon, these vehicles offer a cost-effective, long-term solution.”

Since March 2011, a total of 618 rebates have been approved for 372 electric vehicles and 246 chargers, leaving the state rebate program with about $37,000. The new funding will increase the available total to $387,000.

Through the Hawaii Electric Vehicle (EV) Ready Program, state residents can apply for rebates of up to $4,500 on purchases of electric vehicles and up to $500 for electric vehicles chargers. In addition to the state EV rebates, federal tax incentives of up to $7,500 (the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle credit) are also available for highway-capable vehicles. This provides for the potential of up to $12,500 in rebates and tax credits for each electric car buyer.

The state rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis and will run through the Nov. 1 deadline or while funds last, whichever comes first. Rebate forms can be obtained from DBEDT’s State Energy Office Web site at www.energy.hawaii.gov.

The EV Ready Program is funded by Federal stimulus funds administered by DBEDT. By April 2012, approximately 220 charging stations, at roughly 100 sites across all counties, will be installed as part of the EV Ready Grant Program. Some chargers will have the capacity to charge more than one vehicle at a time. A listing of publicly available EV charging stations in Hawaii can be found on the Hawaii Charging Station Database, which is available on DBEDT’s State Energy Office Web site.

DBEDT’s Hawaii Electric Vehicle EV Ready Program has also provided $2.6 million in grants for the systematic installation of electric vehicle chargers across the state; public education and outreach including an EV Ready Guidebook; introduction of EVs to rental car and county fleets; car-sharing services within the hospitality industry; and an online permitting system for charger installations at single-family residences on Oahu.

The State of Hawaii’s economic enterprise is to pursue energy independence by building a clean energy economy and reaching 70 percent clean energy by 2030. The DBEDT State Energy Office’s mission is to act as a catalyst for efficiency measures, renewable energy resources, transportation initiatives, green jobs, and investments in Hawaii’s economy. For more information, visit www.energy.hawaii.gov.

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For more information, contact:

Mark Glick
Energy Program Administrator
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-3812

Rick Daysog
Communications Officer
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-9006