It may have a reputation as an ecological paradise but Hawaii is also one of America’s most fossil fuel-dependent states. This is largely because of its isolated location in the Pacific Ocean – jet fuel accounts for more than half of all transportation fuel consumption in the state, according to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The state economy depends heavily on tourism and the military, and such is the demand from military installations and commercial airlines that jet fuel makes up a larger share of total petroleum consumption in Hawaii than in any other US state except Alaska.
To cut the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Hawaiian government launched the clean energy initiative in 2008, which pledges to establish new green credentials and aims to use 100% renewable electricity to power the entire state by 2045.
Having introduced ambitious renewables goals for power generation, Hawaii is now looking at cleaning up ground transportation, a major source of fossil fuel consumption.
In a significant move, four mayors from across the state have signed an agreement to run Hawaii’s public transport system using only clean energy by 2045.
Making the announcement aboard a traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Maui mayor Alan Arakawa said: “The goals we are setting today are not only desirable, but attainable, and help send a message that Maui County and Hawaii are open for innovation to help ensure the greater health of our communities and the planet as a whole.”
Future of the Environment
It may have a reputation as an ecological paradise but Hawaii is also one of America’s most fossil fuel-dependent states. This is largely because of its isolated location in the Pacific Ocean – jet fuel accounts for more than half of all transportation fuel consumption in the state, according to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The state economy depends heavily on tourism and the military, and such is the demand from military installations and commercial airlines that jet fuel makes up a larger share of total petroleum consumption in Hawaii than in any other US state except Alaska.
To cut the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Hawaiian government launched the clean energy initiative in 2008, which pledges to establish new green credentials and aims to use 100% renewable electricity to power the entire state by 2045.
Having introduced ambitious renewables goals for power generation, Hawaii is now looking at cleaning up ground transportation, a major source of fossil fuel consumption.
The Hawaiian government pledges to establish new green credentials and aims to use 100% renewable electricity to power the entire state by 2045.
In a significant move, four mayors from across the state have signed an agreement to run Hawaii’s public transport system using only clean energy by 2045.
Making the announcement aboard a traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Maui mayor Alan Arakawa said: “The goals we are setting today are not only desirable, but attainable, and help send a message that Maui County and Hawaii are open for innovation to help ensure the greater health of our communities and the planet as a whole.”
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President Donald Trump decided last year to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, which is dedicated to keeping global warming temperatures below 2C and if possible, under 1.5C.
Soon afterwards, Hawaii became the first state to turn the agreement into official policy, which led the island’s governor David Ige to say: “Climate change is real, regardless of what others may say.”
Hawaii’s clean energy credentials
Hawaii’s commitment to improving the environment is such that it is currently home to more than 60 clean energy projects, including nine wind farms, 19 hydroelectric facilities and 22 solar power plants.
According to the Hawaii State Energy Office, collectively these projects have the capacity to generate around 156 million kilowatt hours of energy per month, or enough to power 314,600 Hawaiian homes for the next 20 years.
The island of Kauai, which sits north-west of the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu, boasts over 15 of these projects, including a major solar farm created by Tesla and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative.
The island of Kauai, which sits north-west of the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu, boasts over 15 of these projects.
The project is composed of 54,978 solar panels with 13 megawatts of solar generation capacity, and Tesla has also installed 272 Powerpack 2 battery systems to store the solar energy to use at night.
According to Tesla, the project is expected to reduce fossil fuel use by around 1.6 million gallons per year, with the system being turned on in phases.
Also:
Hawaii Plans on Being The First US State to Run on 100% Renewables
A bill passed by the Hawaii Legislature last week has stated that 100 percent of the state's electricity will be generated by renewables by 2045. If achieved, it will make Hawaii the first state in the US to run entirely on sustainable energy sources.
"This is a significant step in our effort toward reducing Hawaii's dependence on expensive imported oil and putting the state on the path toward greater energy, environmental and economic security," Hawaii State Energy Office administrator, Mark Glick, told the press.
The bill will need to be approved by Governor David Ige, and he has until the end of June to sign it, but if he does, Hawaii would need to start generating its electricity from a combination of hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen fuel cells, ocean wave and tidal action, wind, solar and other energy sources, says Bobby Magill at Climate Central, which will replace oil as the source of the majority of their electricity.
The state is reportedly ahead of its timeline in reaching its goal of becoming 40 percent renewable by 2030, and the bill proposes that the sustainable energy increments advance as follows:
10 percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2010;
15 percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2015;
30 percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2020;
40 percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2030;
70 percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2040; and
100 percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2045.
Like Georgetown in Texas, which is working on getting itself to 100 percent renewables too, the motivation here isn't entirely altruistic, as Magill explains:
"Hawaii has more than climate change in mind in completely converting to renewables. The state's goal, according to the bill, is to stop importing fuel. The state imports about 93 percent of all its energy, making its residential electric power rates among the most expensive in the nation - about 175 percent of the U.S. average. Already, the state gets about 22 percent of its electricity from renewables, mostly from wind and solar."
While the objective seems pretty lofty - and it is - officials in Hawaii are confident they can get it done by 2045, so long as they can get the infrastructure in place. "We don't probably have the technology today to do everything," Jodi Leong, a representative from the Hawaii governor's office, told the press last week. "We do have some time to do this."
A little healthy competition between states never hurt anyone. Especially when the environment is the ultimate winner.