Feed-In Tariff Program Approved

- Commentary by Chris Mentzel
The PUC (Public Utitilities Commission) has approved the first stage of the Hawaii Feed-In Tariff (FIT) which will take effect in the next months. While it is not the wide open FIT that has made Germany the undisputed leader in clean energy, it is a first step to open up the grid for sellers of renewable energy. For the first 2 years it is limited to 5% of the island’s peak power production, which translates to only 1-2% of energy production. While this will not effect a significant move towards clean energy, it is still a lot of new solar PV installations.

The FIT makes it possible for everyone to invest in clean energy systems and receive a virtually guaranteed return of 6-8% per year, better than most other investments.

Read the October 13, 2010 Pacific Business News article on the PUC approval.