Hawaii Commits To 100% Renewable Roads By 2045

Hawaii has announced a new commitment to sustainable living technology, declaring that the state will transform both private and public transportation to completely renewable fuel sources by 2045. Hōkūleʻa, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, hosted the state's four mayors from the City and County of Honolulu, Maui County, Hawaiʻi County and Kauaʻi County aboard a canoe in mid-December. 

There they signed proclamations declaring their goal.

The First Fossil-Fuel Free Paradise

Hawaii is the most fossil-fuel dependent state in the country. Now it’s on track to be the exact opposite.

Not so long ago, Hawaii’s image as a sweet-smelling tropical paradise was masking a dirty little secret: Of the states most dependent on foreign oil, Hawaii had rocketed to number one. As of 2006, a full 90 percent of its energy came from imported carbon-rich fossil fuels, which had to be delivered in cargo ships. Not surprisingly, this resulted in the highest gas prices in the country, costing state residents some $5 billion annually.

The New Normal for Rooftop Solar in Hawaii?

As the state’s solar market contracts painfully, business leaders are wondering how they’ll survive.

For anyone in sales, there are two existential questions that need to be posed and answered: What's the market for what you're peddling, and how much market share can you expect to capture?

As the once-thriving rooftop solar industry in Hawaii painfully contracts, businesses like mine and others are being forced to seriously ponder those two questions. 

Hawaiian Electric Alters Blueprint for Renewable Energy Development

The Hawaiian Electric Companies on Dec. 23 outlined a detailed plan charting the near-term actions that will lead to the use of renewable resources to meet 100 percent of Hawai'i's power generation needs by 2045.

The Power Supply Improvement Plan Update filed with the Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission describes the work that will form the foundation to meet or exceed the state's renewable energy milestones. The updated plan describes greater and faster expansion of the companies' renewable energy portfolio than in the plan filed in April 2016 and emphasizes work that is in progress or planned over the next five years on each of the five islands the Hawaiian Electric Companies serve.

Helping Hawaii Chart a Path to 100 Percent Renewable Electricity

The U.S., and the world as a whole, is now in a transition to a clean energy future. The State of Hawaii—a leader in this transition since it established the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative in 2008 with the Energy Department—is well on its path toward achieving the most ambitious clean energy target in the country. After initially setting a goal of 70 percent clean energy by 2030, Hawaii further upped the ante in 2015 by setting a goal of 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045.

Realizing that challenges will continue to arise as Hawaii closes in on its goal, The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Energy Transition Initiative (ETI) worked with technical experts from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to deliver training to Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) staff to help them prepare for the coming changes.

Hawaii Governor Ige Signs Bill Setting 100 Percent Renewable Energy Goal In Power Sector

Gov. David Ige today signed into law four energy bills, including one that strengthens Hawaii’s commitment to clean energy by directing the state’s utilities to generate 100 percent of their electricity sales from renewable energy resources by 2045.

The bold step taken by the Hawai‘i State Legislature in passing the landmark legislation (HB623) fulfills one of Ige’s policy objectives by making Hawai‘i the first state in the nation to set a 100 percent renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for the electricity sector.

Bill Would Clarify Hawaii's 100 Percent Renewable Energy Goal

A proposed bill would make Hawaii’s current 100 percent renewable energy goal more clear and make sure that all resources being fed to the grid are by renewable resources, the head of the state’s Energy Office told PBN.

Senate Bill 2820, introduced by Senate President Ron Kouchi, is intended to correct the renewable portfolio standards methodology to more accurately represent 100 percent renewable energy.

Bill Would Ban Big Solar in Hawaiian Neighborhoods

A bill to prevent large commercial solar operations from setting up shop in residential neighborhoods is moving ahead at the Hawaii state Legislature.

The measure by Naalehu Rep. Richard Creagan advanced to the House Committee on Agriculture with amendments this week. Some testimony focused on the downsides of restricting solar energy development in a time when green power sources are needed more than ever. But other testimony highlighted the need to protect residential areas from commercial solar projects that could damage ambiance and property values.

Hydrogen Heats Up: Alternative Energy Source Gains Traction in Hawaii

Hydrogen-powered vehicles are beginning to roll onto Hawaii’s transportation scene.

Two 25-seat hydrogen-powered buses will soon be shuttling tourists between the visitors center and the Thurston Lava Tube at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, and hydrogen might someday fuel the Wiki-Wiki shuttles at Honolulu Airport.

Gov. Ige Signs Bill Setting 100 Percent Renewable Energy Goal for Hawaii

Governor David Ige on Monday signed into law four bills he says will advance Hawaii's position as a leader in renewable energy.

House Bill 623, one of the measures signed into law by Governor Ige, focuses on what's being called the most aggressive clean energy goal in the country: Hawaii seeks to become completely energy self-sustaining, using 100 percent renewable sources, by 2045.

Hawaii Pushes Ambitious Renewable Energy Eeffort

Hawaii has become the first state to mandate a move to 100% renewable energy. In a 74-2 vote by the Hawaiian legislature, lawmakers have passed a bill that requires the state to be 100% dependent on renewable energy by the year 2045. The bill reads, in part, “The purpose of this Act is to update and extend Hawaii’s clean energy initiative and renewable portfolio standards to ensure maximum long-term benefit to Hawaii’s economy by setting a goal of one hundred per cent renewable by 2045.”

Hawaii Grid Could be 100% Renewable by 2040 – With Net Savings

Hawaii is famously reliant on imported fossil fuels, for both electricity and transportation. But that’s changing rapidly as the state invests heavily in renewables.

Two new bills are now pending in the Hawaii legislature that would codify the 100 percent renewables goal statewide, up from the current mandate of 40 percent by 2030. HB 623 would require 70 percent renewables by 2040 and 100 percent by 2050. SB 715 would require 70 percent by 2035 and 100 percent by 2050, but this bill is apparently languishing now while HB 623 is still active. Both of these bills originally called for 100 percent renewables by 2040.

Maui County Islands Can Attain 100% Renewable Energy

Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai, is sticking to its ambitious goal of becoming the first islands in the United States to achieve 100 percent renewable energy.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, a speaker at the Wednesday kickoff of the Maui Energy Conference, noted that other islands elsewhere have gone off the grid, including islands in the Caribbean.

“The goal is real and attainable, using proven technology, including wind, solar and storage,” he said. “It’s about freedom, self-sufficiency and sustainability.”

Because of price fluctuations by fossil fuel sources, more and more island states and nations are becoming dependent on renewable resources, Arakawa said.

Here’s Another Thing To Love About Hawaii

Hawaii is on track to pass legislation this year requiring the state to go 100 percent renewable by 2040.

Earlier this month, committees in the Hawaii House and Senate both unanimously recommended bills that would raise the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) from the current target of 70 percent by 2030 to the ultimate goal of 100 percent by 2040. Hawaii has had an RPS since 2001, and right now the state gets just over 21 percent of its power from renewable sources — a 12 percent increase in just six years.

This is huge for our state’s future.

Clean Energy Policy Wins and Losses of 2014

There’s been policy action in nearly every corner of the country. Here are the highlights.

This year has been a mixed bag for state-level energy policy.

Overall, solar deployment expanded dramatically. In some states, growth was aided by expansions to net energy metering (NEM) and other policies facilitating distributed energy resources (DER). In others, however, those policies came under attack. South Carolina, for instance, became the latest state to set a renewable energy target, while Ohio became the first state to put a freeze on its progress toward its target.

Schatz Co-Sponsors Energy STORAGE Act in Hawaii

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz joined his Senate colleagues in co-sponsoring the Storage Technology for Renewable and Green Energy Act of 2013 (STORAGE). This bipartisan bill promotes the deployment of energy storage technologies, which will accelerate the deployment of renewable energy. 

PV Renter Bill Signed into Law in Hawaii

A bill that would remove barriers for landlords to invest in renewable energy became law today.

Governor Neil Abercrombie signed four bills related to energy at a ceremony on Oahu on Wednesday. One of those measures was Senate Bill 19, Relating to Renewable Energy. SB 19 was enacted as Act 261, and is being called the “PV Renter” bill. The new law…

Governor Signs ‘Game-Changing’ Green Energy Policy Into Law

Gov. Neil Abercrombie packed his ceremonial room today with a rare combination of leaders from the Legislature, HECO, environmental nonprofits and union groups who all support his signing of a progressive new energy policy.

Energy and economic development measures become a law

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed into law bills that are aimed to move Hawaii forward in reducing its dependence on imported oil.

Two of the measures enacted are Senate Bills 2785 and 2787, which were among the governor’s priority bills this past session.

“I want to thank the Legislature for recognizing the commitment that is needed to act now to move ahead with renewable energy projects that will benefit the State of Hawaii,” Abercrombie said. “These measures are critical in addressing our sustainability. We must view our islands as interdependent and remain open to all renewable projects. My Administration is seeking long-term infrastructure investments that ensure our electric grids are stable, reliable and modern enough to integrate all available alternative and renewable energy technologies.”

Hawaii bills aim to reduce oil use, energy costs

Legislation before Hawaii's governor could expand geothermal energy production across the state.

The pending measures could increase the geothermal output on all islands by amending the Hawaii State Planning Act to encourage development of geothermal energy on state and public trust land.