1X
Twenty years after the first Arab oil embargo, Roth asks Rocheleau and Kaya why Hawaii is now more dependent on oil than ever, despite roughly $80 million spent on alternatives in the preceding decade. The state's research and policy programs have lacked specific goals and a commercialization path, both guests concede. Biomass from sugarcane bagasse currently generates some electricity, but as the sugar industry declines, new crops may be needed. The episode surveys each technology: geothermal finally has a 25-megawatt Big Island plant operating, years behind schedule, with any link to Oahu dependent on an expensive undersea cable; wind turbines now produce electricity at 6–8 cents per kilowatt-hour; solar hot water heating is already cost-effective with a 35% state tax credit; and OTEC — ocean thermal energy conversion — remains commercially viable perhaps 20 to 50 years out. The concept of "externalities" — environmental and security costs not reflected in energy prices — is raised to argue that oil's apparent cheapness is misleading, and that persistent investment in renewables is essential for Hawaii's long-term energy security.
Transcript
Read or download the full transcript (.txt). Speaker labels were assigned automatically and may contain errors.