• Record setting career home runs - Barry Bonds - August 7th, 07. Congratulations, Barry
• Record setting oil prices - No surprise here, right? The important thing for all of us; "get used to it".
• Record setting coal prices - I guess this means that Gay & Robinson weren’t the only ones that though of switching from oil to coal for electricity on Kauai. Can anyone say ‘China’?
• Record setting foreclosures - 1 in 200 Americans is currently in foreclosure; 1 in 20 is behind on their mortgage. How does this relate to energy?

• Record Setting public rider ship on the Kauai Bus (an all-time high of 25,378 in July ‘07 vs 17,776 in July ’06) ; Way to go, Janine Rapozo & company!
• Record setting electricity prices on Kauai (PDF)

Yes, this month’s meeting follows all time high energy costs being provided by our electricity COOP, KIUC, in the months of July and August. Before we say another word, however, it is critical to recognize is that these costs are not in any way ‘the fault’ of the COOP. The COOP management has created an incredibly high standard of efficiency with regards to fossil fuel based electricity generation. They are expert at managing their heat-rate losses, as well as maintaining an incredibly low spinning reserve. Randy Hee and his team of engineers have wrung out the sponge of efficiency completely regarding fossil fuel consumption. After all, like Barry Bonds hitting home runs, this is what they know how to do.

So with all that efficiency and expert management, why are costs continuing to rise? This is the question we must focus on intently as a community. A quick look shows that globally, all fossil fuel products are continuing their upward march in price based on increased global consumption and flattening world production. Only a fool or the EIA would not be able to read the writing on the wall. This trend is particularly true of oil, but also of coal, as well as natural gas and other fuel based energy sources. This upward trend is certain to continue, and likely to accelerate. Experts such as Matthew Simmons, Richard Heinberg, and others have cautioned us on the implications, and the chorus of voices joining this warning now includes the US General Accounting Office, the International Energy Agency (PDF), and numerous other conservative national and international entities. It has become accepted among experts that we proceed with our oil dependence at our own risk, as the reliability of our future oil supply is at best uncertain.

So what are we to do? The choice we have to make at our COOP and in our community is what’s next? The biggest question these days is not whether to switch to renewables (everyone can wax poetic about wind power or get sweet on solar) The issue is this;

How quickly should we make the switch?

This is a key question, as it raises one of the most critical issues related to the transition; cost. Yes, transition is costly, both in terms of human energy and infrastructure. It may not be possible to make a vigorous transition without a short term increase in electricity costs, an even perhaps a decrease in that holy grail of utility operation, reliability. However, the only thing guaranteed by not transitioning sooner is that it will cost more to do so later. This will undoubtedly be a learning process for all of us, and if we want the COOP to move more vigorously towards renewable energy, we need to ask them. This means going to monthly COOP Board Meetings (there’s one today at 1:30) getting to know the Board members (especially those up for re-election this spring) and getting a better understanding of the issues. Making a transition to clean renewables will be challenging, it will require changes on both the supply side, and the demand side of the equation. Luckily, as we’re a COOP here on Kauai, we can direct both sides of the issue.