Hawaiian Electric Transformers

BY DENNIS HOLLIER      From left: Lynne Unemori, Darcy Endo-Omoto,       Tayne Sekimura and Dave Waller       Photos: Rae Huo “You can’t run an operational company like this without leadership that’s experienced in operational issues,” says Robbie Alm, executive vice president for Hawaiian Electric Co. “That’s not me. That was never going to be me.”…

Roadblocks on the Road to Hawaii’s Smart Grid

BY DENNIS HOLLIER The Kaheawa wind farm is not being fully used because of  limitations imposed by an aging power grid on Maui. Photo: David Croxford High on a ridge overlooking Maalaea Bay, a small group of students from the Horizons Academy scramble out of vans into the vast open space at the top of…

Charging Ahead: Hawaii looks beyond oil

On the sidewalk in front of the state Capitol, Gov. Linda Lingle climbs into the driver’s seat of a white and blue Nissan Rogue. But this is no ordinary Nissan. It’s an electric car, the demonstration vehicle for Better Place, a technology company with ambitious plans to persuade thousands of people that electric cars represent…