Hawaii Commits to 70% Renewable Energy by 2030
Hawaiian Electric Company, the state’s largest utility, has entered into an agreement with the state of Hawaii that could break the Islands’ reliance on fossil fuel by generating 70% of it energy from renewable sources for both ground transportation and electricity by 2030.
The plan includes agreeing to build no more coal-fired power plants, integrating 1,100 megawatts of renewable enegy into the grid, and converting existing generators to burn biofuels.
The agreement signed this month between the state and Hawaiian Electric is based on the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership launched last January between the federal government and the state of Hawaii. Administered by the U.S. Department of Energy, the stated goal of the project is for Hawaii to serve as the model of energy independence for other states to follow.
U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) says that energy independence for the state is essential due to the isolation of the central Pacific archipelago, making it particularly vulnerable to rising oil prices and uncertain supplies (Hawaii has no fossil fuel sources of its own).
