Aloha Energy Security
Hawaii – America’s fiftieth state conjures images of tropical paradise. With lush mountains and beautiful beaches it seems like worries simply melt away. But Hawaii is also home to the country’s highest avg. electricity price ($0.36 per KWh) and highest avg. gasoline pump price ($4.15 per gallon).
There are two factors that make Hawaii an energy conservationists nightmare. First, the island archipelago is quite isolated. Unlike the lower 48 states which are crisscrossed with railways, highways, and transmission lines, Hawaii sits almost 2,500 miles from the west coast of the US. This means that most products (including energy) are imported and shipped long distances (which adds cost).
Second, Hawaii suffers from an acute case of energy inertia. When the state was first admitted to the union in 1959, fossil fuel was abundant and cheap. The US military had a large presence on the island and its distribution network was based upon gasoline and fossil fuels. The state built upon this network and now finds itself in a tight spot.
One would think that in a place so blessed with solar, wind, ocean, and geothermal energy that energy dependence would not be an issue. But Hawaii is over 90% dependent on fossil fuels for its total energy needs. And unlike the mainland US (which gets around 50% of its electric energy needs from burning coal), over 75% of Hawaii’s electricity generation comes from burning oil – the majority of which is imported from foreign countries, including Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and Brunei.
The Kuokoa plan – a consortium of leading scientists and business leaders in Hawaii are pushing to change this paradigm. Their goal is to make Hawaii fossil fuel free in 10 years, by harnessing the state’s vast geothermal potential as a baseload while building more solar, wind, and hydro renewable sources. By pursuing such an ambitious goal, the Kuokoa plan says it will bring energy security to the state in the form of cheaper, more (price) reliable, and less environmentally damaging energy sources. It makes sense that in a state where tourism and natural beauty are such large portions of the economy, energy should come from clean, local, and renewable sources.
