Milestone Deliverables

Opportunity Statement

In my Capstone project, I want to help serve low-income families in Hawai'i. On the Big Island, the rising cost of living has become an extremely pressing problem for many low-income, Native Hawaiian families. A major expense that threatens many families are power bills. The cost of residential energy on the Big Island has climbed all the way to 47.95 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), and has increased from 35 cents statewide in 2013. Using solar panels, families in Hawai‘i can cut a HUGE chunk of their power bill. By relying on the excess amount of solar irradiation in Hawai‘i, daytime power expenses are dissipated. As many families are struggling to make ends meet, solar power can create a blanket of $100-200 excess spending money each month.

Last year, I created my non-profit organization called Carbon Free Hawai‘i. The idea was simple. I connected with community leaders at Kailapa, a Hawaiian Homes neighborhood near me, and held a community meeting to announce I was going to fundraise for solar installations in their neighborhood. I reached out to countless donors and was able to raise enough money for ten households to have solar panels installed. As of right now, the solar panels will be installed in a month or two, awaiting permits. I plan to continue this project by lobbying the Hawai’i State Government to incentivize solar for low-income households.

References

“Average Price of Electricity.” Hawaiian Electric, www.hawaiianelectric.com/billing-and-payment/rates-and-regulations/average-price-of-electricity. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023.

Collinson, Alden. “Carbon Free Hawai’i.” Carbon Free Hawaii, www.carbonfreehawaii.com/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.

“Renewable Energy Services: Honokaa, HI.” Renewable Energy Services, 17 May 2023, www.renewablenergy.com/culture/people/.

Written Testimony

Aloha Chair Decoite, Chair McKelvey, and the members of the EET and GVO commitees. I am Alden Collinson, a 17 year old resident of the Big Island. I am in strong support of SB 2539 because it will shorten solar permitting approval times which will make it easier for Hawaiian residents to escape rising energy costs. Last year, I identified two main problems focused in Hawai'i, economic inequality and climate change. To help make an impact on both of these problems, I started a nonprofit called Carbon Free Hawai'i in which I fundraised for ten low income families in the Hawaiian Homes Kailapa neighborhood to install solar panels. Many low income families in Hawai'i are struggling to make ends meet and are plagued by rising energy costs as a major impact on their income. Working with Carbon Free Hawai'i, I have learned of the troubles and stagnacies of getting solar installations permitted in Hawai'i. My project has been limited in helping low income families because of permitting. With SB 2539, families will be able to gain incentives of solar installation much quicker and can earn back their initial investment in a more timely manner. When waiting on permitting, people could be out of thousands of dollars without any energy or economic savings for months or years of waiting for approval. Solar Energy is needed in Hawai'i both to make a movement against climate change, but also to reduce energy costs for our citizens and SB 2539 would do this by cutting the lengthy permit times that turn many solar consumers away