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The recent rolling blackouts by Hawaiian Electric (HECO) could easily be avoided in the future if we begin using a large and rapidly growing resource that is currently mostly squandered. Electric vehicles (EVs) can store enough electricity to power a typical home for two days or more. However, most EVs are not yet capable of bidirectional charging. New electric meters allow monitoring of electricity use every 15 minutes, and HECO will soon begin a pilot program of differential pricing based on time of use: about 17 cents, 34 cents, and 52 cents per kilowatt-hour. Eventually, everyone will be on this system.
EV owners could buy electricity when it’s cheap and resell it to HECO during peak use periods at a profit. This would also allow HECO to expand clean energy production faster without needing to build as much storage capacity. We need mandatory bidirectional charging capability for all new EVs.
Chris Peterson
St. Louis Heights
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