Let's recharge drive toward energy independence
There's hardly a spot on the globe that can compete with Hawai'i in the richness of renewable energy resources.
The state's energy Web site (www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/energy) has this list: biomass, hydroelectric, ocean — from waves, tides, currents, or undersea temperature differences — solar and wind.
Of course, this has always been the case, but the expense of producing energy with the newer technologies far outstripped that of generating it with petroleum the Islands import and refine.
The days of cheap oil are long gone, and they're not coming back. Even setting aside the hand of political power in the price of oil, diminishing global reserves in the face of industrialization and increased demand from populous countries such as China and India, the cost of energy has been driven far beyond Hawai'i's control.
There's been little partisan discord over the urgency that the state become far less dependent on outside energy sources, urgency that is firmly underscored in the series of analyses appearing in today's Focus section. The governor and lawmakers have set the first building blocks of an aggressive new energy policy in place, including a permitting process that should be friendlier to investors, tax incentives and a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy that will be key to success.
It's a good start, but progress can be eroded unless elected leaders maintain focus on what remains to be done. And the job list is enormous.
For example, when there's a power-generation lull in windfarms on Maui, the island would need to draw on other sources, and a power system that's interconnected would better enable that operational flexibility.
A permitting process that keeps the project on track will be crucial.
Despite the steep climb that Hawai'i faces in achieving its goal — 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 — the prospects for accelerated progress are encouraging. For example, Hawai'i is well positioned to ramp up its development of wave energy, a technology that has immense potential but has fallen beneath the radar screen.
Fortunately, that low profile is about to be raised. The University of Hawai'i School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology was tapped by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of two renewable energy test centers, which came with a $1.2 million grant to study and encourage the implementation of wave energy systems in Hawaiian waters.
State Rep. Cynthia Thielen, the most vocal champion of wave energy locally, plans to lobby for a clear regulatory path for the creation of a "wave hub," built on the sea floor, giving various wave-energy contractors a shared facility for transmitting wave energy to the power grid.
Even better, she said, the hub would be financed by the energy companies, rather than state funds.
Advocates for good energy policy at the Capitol — and there are many, including Thielen — need to regroup and strategize. Last legislative session was touted as the "energy year," but it's clear that the drive to build a more independent future can't be allowed to idle. If anything, that effort needs more political fuel, not less.
