Community Renewable Solutions LLC

05/06/2026

We have a massive and mostly untapped solar goldmine on our rooftops, parking lots and public corridors around the state.

I worked up this analysis, based on publicly-vetted data, finding that we have enough untapped potential to meet over 100% of our electricity needs.

This is remarkable and it relies on existing infrastructure.

This doesn't mean we shouldnt' also develop new wind power projects, or other renewables -- we should, in order to diversify. But it does mean that the clear preference for meeting our power needs and getting off fossil fuels should be solar, with battery storage to make it reliable, both of which are already far cheaper than fossil fuels.

I worked up this analysis as part of my work with Think BIG, a nonprofit I cofounded in 2020 that focuses on resilience, equity and sustainability for the Big Island.

Solar panels are getting cheaper each year, with prices down 75%, in inflation-adjusted terms, in the last twenty years. Solar power is far…

03/15/2026

The biggest offshore wind project in the US just came online on the East Coast. Orange Man has been trying very hard to kill all offshore wind power projects in the US, illegally stopping them until courts deemed his orders illegal and they got back on track.

At the same time he has started an insane war that has shut down the Strait of Hormuz b/c of highly predictable retaliation by Iran (which is the main reason no presidents before him have not actually attacked Iran, despite decades of being pushed to do so by Netanyahu), where about 20% of the globe's oil passes.

Oil is traded on global markets so we are seeing massive price increases for gas and diesel here in the US, which will probably last at least for months and maybe years.

At the same time, Trump has killed the EV and other green energy tax credit and other incentives for EVs.

In short, Trump has done literally everything exactly backwards if he actually wanted to make America great again and ensure we are not beholden to polluting and expensive fossil fuels, and actually have resilient transportation and electrical systems.

Thank Goddess that we are still, as a nation and world, still moving forward steadily in getting off fossil fuels and on to EVs and green grids.

The silver lining in all this madness is it really should wake people the f**k up to the need to get our house in order, individually and collectively, and truly get off oil and other fossil fuels. Stat.

The US offshore wind industry is still alive and kicking with multiple gigawatts' worth of clean electricity heading for the nation's grid.

02/19/2026

Oil and gas-funded forces love to talk smack about renewable energy and its alleged lack of reliability. The opposite is actually true as the battery storage revolution kicks in powerfully, firming up wind and solar power around the nation.

Texas is a great testing ground for market forces and they are going huge on wind, solar and battery storage, causing much handwringing by fossil fuel advocates. But the data show clearly that Texas' grid has become MORE reliable as battery storage and solar have become large players on their grid.

I wrote up the details in this piece for Canary Media, a nonprofit news outlet focused on renewables:

The recent boom in renewables and storage in Texas means its grid is much better prepared for bad weather than it was when Winter Storm Uri hit five years…

12/03/2025

Join us for our webinar looking at food security and energy security issues in the wake of massive federal funding cuts. Next Friday, Dec. 12, from noon to 130.

Here's a story from Big Island News on our webinar:

https://bigislandnow.com/2025/11/29/panel-to-discuss-federal-changes-impacting-hawaii-food-energy-security-and-how-to-respond/

The flyer is attached with the QR code to register.

11/01/2025

Join us for a Think BIG webinar on Friday, Nov. 14, noon to 130 PM, to discuss food security and energy security here in Hawaii. We are suffering an onslaught of ended tax credits, grants, loans, and other programs from the federal government in many areas of critical food security and energy security. This webinar will examine what's happening and what we can do to make up for this crucial loss of federal support for programs designed to improve resilience and self-sufficiency here in Hawaii.

Here is the link to register or see the flyer for the QR code: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hlBB9hk2SSufb02Zla6TRg #/registration

09/27/2025

The federal EV tax credits are expiring in literally one week. Act now!

03/26/2025

California and Texas show how energy storage can bridge the political divide to bolster grid reliability and lower costs.

01/29/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/159J93hVbp/

Liquefied natural gas may be part of Hawaiʻi’s energy future, according to a new energy strategy for Oʻahu just released by the State Energy Office. HPR’s Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

01/26/2025

Are renewables reliable? A new study says California ran on renewables alone for a record number of days last year.