I’m preparing to speak to engineers at GE Vernova during Engineering Week at the request of Cornelis Plet, CTO of GE Vernova Grid Systems Integration. It is a useful moment to step back and look at a class of technologies that rarely make headlines but quietly shape how modern power … [continued]
The starting point for evaluating seawater air conditioning on Oʻahu is the fully electrified energy system for the island that has been developed through the earlier Sankey analysis. In that framework the island’s civilian energy system excludes overseas aviation fuel, maritime bunkering for ships crossing the Pacific, and military energy … [continued]
Someone recently pointed me at a chart published by H2 Mobility that shows hydrogen dispensed per month across its German refueling network climbing steadily over time. The chart is visually persuasive. The blue area rises from near zero in 2017 to roughly 59 tons per month in early 2026. It … [continued]
Any serious discussion of renewable energy on Oʻahu should begin with a clear understanding of how much electricity the island actually needs once fossil fuel end uses are electrified. Earlier analysis constructed a fully electrified civilian energy Sankey for Oʻahu that removed overseas aviation fuel, international maritime bunkering, and military … [continued]
The latest announcement about Hinkley Point C was predictable. The first reactor at the plant in Somerset is now expected to begin generating electricity in 2030. The cost estimate has climbed again, now reaching roughly £35B in 2015 pounds or about £49B in current money according to Electricité de France. … [continued]
Any discussion of solar power on Oʻahu has to begin with the amount of electricity the island actually needs in a fully electrified system. Earlier analysis stripped out aviation fuel for overseas flights, fuel bunkered for ships leaving the islands, and military fuel use. It also electrified transportation, buildings, and … [continued]
Someone recently asked me about small, distributed hydrogen use cases and whether those markets might eventually be served by imported green methanol cracked onsite to produce hydrogen. The idea is not irrational. Hydrogen is difficult to transport and store. Methanol is a liquid fuel with existing global shipping infrastructure. Catalytic … [continued]
Energy discussions about Hawaiʻi often begin with the largest numbers in the system. Aviation fuel, maritime bunkering, and military logistics move large quantities of petroleum through Oʻahu’s ports and fuel infrastructure. Those flows dominate many statistical summaries of the state’s energy system, and they create the impression that the transition … [continued]
Energy discussions about Hawaiʻi often begin with the largest numbers on the chart. Aviation fuel, maritime bunkering, and military logistics dominate many of the data tables that describe the state’s energy system. When those numbers are placed on a single chart, the scale of the challenge appears enormous and the … [continued]
In my previous assessments of Hawaiʻi’s energy system, I examined specific infrastructure decisions such as proposed LNG imports and the role of legacy petroleum assets. Those analyses focused on timing, economics, and the risk of locking in fossil pathways that do not align with the state’s statutory commitment to 100% … [continued]
