Renewable Energy in Hawaii


Over my winter break, my family and I flew for 12 long hours to Maui, Hawaii (after testing negative for Covid-19 first). Upon arrival, as we drove through the various small towns on the island, I noticed that tons of roofs were lined with solar panels. Some houses had the entire roof filled, while others had just a few panels, but overall just from looking, I would say that about half of the homes on Maui had solar panels. In my previous post, I found that a PV solar panel system would be quite expensive to have in my area (where we sadly don't get a lot of sun) which is probably why fewer homes in the DC area have them. In Hawaii though, not as many panels would be required to power the home due to the higher peak sun hours, which is six hours on average (compared to about four where I live). Also, Hawaii has one of the lowest energy use of any state due to its mild climate. In 2018, the average  household in Maui used 533 kwh of energy per month compared to my household's energy consumption of around 1220 kwh. Still, I was bit surprised to see that many smaller, more modest homes (that were not rental properties for tourists) as well as businesses, some schools, and even a church had solar panels. There were also panels in public parks and parking areas.


Hawaii was the first state to introduce a goal to run on 70% clean energy by 2030 and 100% clean energy by 2045 through the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI). It aims to reach this pioneering goal by defining, innovating, educating the workforce on, and creating economic opportunities around clean energy solutions. Due to its isolated geographical location, the state has relied on imported (and expensive) petroleum for its energy needs, but this is changing, as in 2019, a record of nearly 30% of energy in the state was generated from renewable sources; nationally, only 11% that year of energy came from renewable sources. In Maui for example, 9,300 solar systems with a 74 MW (mega watt) capacity, were installed on homes by the end of 2015, with PV solar energy production in the state doubling since 2014, making Hawaii the state with the sixth highest small scale solar power generation, despite its relatively small population of 1.4 million.  The state is currently on track to meet its ambitious 2030 goal. Federal and state credits for renewable energy have greatly contributed to this, with PV solar systems qualifying for a 30% federal credit and a 35% Hawaiian state credit. Other state programs have also incentivized this, such as the Feed in Tariff (FIT) program that allows Hawaii residents to be paid by the state for feeding the excess renewable energy produced by their panels, into the main grid, and the Hawaii Green Business Program (HGBP), which assists and recognizes businesses that are pushing to be more environmentally responsible.



In my opinion, Hawaii is setting an excellent example of how areas with an abundance of renewable resources, can stray away from being reliant on fossil fuels like petroleum. It has been effectively stimulating residents and businesses alike, to steadily transition to clean energy sources, which will allow the state to achieve the HCEI goal, and in its own way contribute to the global effort to curb climate change. I would love to return to Hawaii in a few years to see how it has further progressed in implementing smart clean energy policies, and of course to soak up some sun just like a solar panel!




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