Green energy takes more green

The more we succeed, the more it hurts.

That’s the irony of "decoupling," which is the mechanism by which Hawaiian Electric Co. is able to charge its customers enough to recoup its costs, even as it sells less and less electricity.

As the move to green energy accelerates, and HECO becomes less of a producer, the latest rate increase approved by the Public Utilities Commission will amount to about a $5 hike on monthly bills.

But nobody knows where this will end. That’s why the PUC is pressuring the utility to lay out its road map to the brave, green new world.

It would be easier to accept the pain if there was hope of relief at some point down the road.

National kudos to our own KCC

When the trade magazine Full-Service Restaurant set out to rank the top 20 culinary schools in the United States, the criteria were clear and the standards were tough.

The magazine looked for programs that "combine comprehensive classroom theory with a solid dose of hands-on work in well-equipped, on-campus kitchen classrooms and labs."

Kudos to Kapiolani Community College’s Culinary Arts Program for making the Top 20, one of only four community-college programs nationwide to do so.

This shining star in the University of Hawaii system deserves the national attention.