BUSINESS BRIEFS
Wind farm operator files complaint
Advertiser Staff
A company that operates a wind farm on Maui has filed a complaint with the state Public Utilities Commission against Hawaiian Electric Co. and Maui Electric Co.
UPC Hawaii Holdings and its Kaheawa Wind Power operate a 30-megawatt wind farm on a ridge above Ma'alaea that produces power for MECO.
The company recently lost a bid to produce another 30 megawatts of capacity at its Maui windfarm after HECO and MECO reached an agreement to purchase power from Shell Wind, which is building a 30-megawatt wind farm near Kula.
UPC's complaint alleged that the utility "acted against public policy that encourages development of alternative energy resources."
HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg said the company followed federal and state guidelines. He said the Shell site is on the opposite side of Maui, which allows the local utility to take advantage of different wind sources.
MAUI SMALL-BUSINESS MIXER FEB. 16
The Maui County Office of Economic Development will hold an Entrepreneur & Business Fair Feb. 16 at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center.
The event, sponsored by local businesses and banks, in partnership with the County of Maui and SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business, will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners to meet representatives of the many organizations that support small business.
OED Coordinator Deidre Tegarden and State of Hawaii Business Action Center Director Jayna Uyehara and representatives from the Small Business Administration, will be available to answer questions.
Also, representatives from Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian Bank and American Savings Bank will be on hand to provide information about financing for new and existing businesses.
The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 873-8247.
WORKSHOP ON FARM, RANCH FINANCING
The Farm Service Agency and Rural Development will hold a workshop on financial assistance available to farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses Feb. 20 in 'Aiea.
Rural Development will provide information on Farm Labor Housing loans, Value-Added Producer grants, and Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed loans and grants.
Farm Service Agency will provide information on its various loan programs.
The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in the 3rd floor conference room of the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center, 99-193 Aiea Heights Drive.
To RSVP call Shirley Heatherly, at 483-8600, ext. 118 no later than Feb. 15.
KONA ELECTRICIAN WINS DESIGN HONOR
Ted Bristow, a master electrician from Kailua, Kona, is one of six first place winners in the 2007 Create the Future design contest sponsored by NASA Tech Briefs magazine and SolidWorks Corp.
Bristow won for a solar-powered system that can illuminate hundreds of thousands of light-emitting diodes using inexpensive wiring and offering an application for home lighting. He won a Hewlett-Packard work station for his entry and will be honored at a dinner in New York City in April.
There were 976 entries for what was the sixth year of the contest.
