Letter: Better ways for HECO to use surplus solar power
COURTESY PHOTO
Solar panels cover the rooftops of apartments at Kapolei Lofts in 2018.
I was disappointed to read HECO Vice President Jim Kelly’s defense of its solar customer pricing plans by playing the divisive “haves” vs. “have nots” card (“HECO plan is equitable, customers can opt out,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 7).
My family is on HECO’s net energy metering (NEM) program and we’re hardly entitled or lucky just because HECO credits us for power we generate at the same base rate that HECO charges its customers. We over-configured our system for a “someday” EV and annually export thousands of dollars of power more than we receive, but HECO simply zeroes out any surplus credits.
Here’s a suggestion: If HECO refuses to fully reimburse NEM customers for the power we give, why not agree to give our surplus credits to low-income families in places like Lahaina and Waianae? We’d back that in a second — even if it meant keeping our 15-year-old car limping along for a few more years.
Don Lab
Waikiki
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