Kauai
Real Estate

Kauai, which is known for the most breathtaking sandy beaches, the lushest mountains and the best Saimin this side of the Rocky Mountains, may also add solar energy to that list of superlatives.

The Washington D.C.-based nonprofit Solar Electric Power Association on Tuesday ranked the Garden Isle’s Kauai Island Utility Cooperative as second in the nation for integrating and delivering solar energy to its customers.

The high ranking should come as no big surprise. By 2015, KIUC noted that half of Kauai’s daytime energy needs will be met by solar, the highest percentage of solar photovoltaic energy on the grid of any utility in the U.S.

As a Kauai native, it’s good to see that the transformation to renewables is showing some noticeable results.

Just last December, Alexander & Baldwin Inc. (NYSE: ALEX) completed construction on the largest solar generation facility in Hawaii, its 6-megawatt PV farm at Port Allen on the west side of Kauai.

Duane Shimogawa Reporter- Pacific Business News

Travel website TripAdvisor announced Tuesday the winners of its inaugural Travelers’ Choice Islands awards.

Based on millions of valuable traveler reviews and opinions on the site, the awards recognize more than 100 islands across the globe, including dedicated lists for Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, the South Pacific, and the U.S.

In the list for best U.S. islands, Kauai came in second place, Maui, came in fifth place and the Big Island came in eighth place.

Pending home sales rose in January, and have been above year-ago levels for the past 21 months.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun explains: “Favorable affordability conditions and job growth have unleashed a pent-up demand. Most areas are drawing down housing inventory, which has shifted the supply/demand balance to sellers in much of the country. It’s also why we’re experiencing the strongest price growth in more than seven years.”

Source: http://www.realtor.org/news-releases/2013/02/january-pending-home-sales-up-in-all-regionsPending

Walking on Moloaa Beach, Kauai

According to Business Insider, Hawaii has earned the title of happiest state in America for the 4th year in a row, according to the annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

The Index looks at six categories: life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, healthy behaviors, and physical health (we’ve highlighted a few in the following slides).

In general, state-level scores remained consistent with the past five years of data. Western and Midwestern states ranked high on the wellbeing index, and Southern states ranking near the bottom, with West Virginia coming in last.