Hawaii, DOE Partner toward Ambitious Clean Energy Goals

With the goals of reducing crude oil consumption by a whopping 72 percent and identifying clean energy sources to cover 70 percent of the state’s energy needs by 2030, Hawaii has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to figure out exactly how to get the job done under the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.

 

To call the plan merely ambitious seems like an understatement. Hawaii currently depends on imported fossil fuels to meet 90 percent of its energy needs, the MOU begins. Despite that, Hawaii already generates more of its energy from biomass than any other state.

 

Both the state and DOE believe the goal is reasonable, however, given the abundance of clean energy resources the islands naturally enjoy – sunshine, wind and geothermal sources. In addition, the cost of importing fossil fuels across the Pacific continues to make traditional energy sources less attractive economically. The MOU states “every 10 percent increase in world oil prices results in a 0.5 percent reduction in the state’s GDP.”

 

DOE’s role is to begin immediately, according to the agency. DOE promises to engage experts in clean energy technology development to help Hawaii launch several projects with public and private sector partners that target early opportunities and critical needs for the state’s transition to a clean energy economy, including:

• Designing cost-effective approaches for the exclusive use of renewable energy on smaller islands;
• Designing systems to improve stability of electric grids operating with variable generating sources, such as wind power plants on the islands of Hawaii and Maui;
• Minimizing energy use while maximizing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at new large military housing developments;
• Expanding Hawaii’s capability to use locally grown crops and byproducts for producing fuel and electricity; and,
• Assisting in the development of comprehensive energy regulatory and policy frameworks for promoting clean energy technology use.

The MOU calls for the initiative to follow an open-source model, allowing other states and nations to borrow best practices and technologies developed through the process.

 

The MOU is available for review at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/pdfs/hawaii_mou.pdf