Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

is produced from a mixture of

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ma ...

and

renewable resources A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...

. Producing energy is complicated by the state's isolated location and lack of

resources. The state relies heavily on imports of

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

. Hawaii has the highest share of petroleum use in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, with about 62% of electricity coming from oil in 2017. As of 2021 renewable energy made up 34.5% . Hawaii has the highest electricity prices in the United States. As of 2016 the average cost of electricity was $0.24 per

kilowatt-hour A kilowatt-hour ( unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common b ...

, followed by

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

at $0.19. The U.S. average was $0.10.

Consumption

Hawaii's energy consumption is dominated by oil, which in 2016 provided 83% (down from 85.0% in 2008 and 99.7% in 1960). Other sources in 2016 included coal (5.6%) and renewable energy (11.2%). In 2017, sources of renewable power were: Hawaii_energy_consumption_2016

Renewable energy support

Hawaii has committed to developing renewable energy to supply 70 percent or more of Hawaii's energy needs by 2030. Hawaii requires solar water heaters for new homes, except for those in areas with poor solar energy resources, homes using other renewable energy sources, and homes employing on-demand gas-fired water heaters. It offers a rebate of the lesser of 35% of the cost of photovoltaics or $5,000.

History

Hawaii began concrete support for renewable energy in the 21st century. Hawaii electric generating capacity from selected technologies as of January 2020 (49679274511)

Hawaii electric generating capacity from selected technologies as of January 2020 (49679274511)

Legislation

HB 3179 made it easier for

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration ...

producers to lease state lands. SB 3190 and HB 2168 authorized special purpose

revenue bonds A revenue bond is a special type of municipal bond distinguished by its guarantee of repayment solely from revenues generated by a specified revenue-generating entity associated with the purpose of the bonds, rather than from a tax. Unlike general ...

to help finance a solar energy facility on

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O ...

and hydrogen generation and conversion facilities at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, located on

Hawaii island Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of t ...

. In 2010 SB 644 mandated solar water heaters for new construction, with some exceptions. The bill eliminated solar thermal energy tax credits for homes. SB 988 allowed the Hawaii Public Utility Commission to establish a rebate for photovoltaic systems, and HB 2550 encouraged

net metering Net metering (or net energy metering, NEM) is an electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated. This is particularly importa ...

for residential and small commercial customers. In 2008 HB 2863 provided streamlined permitting for new renewable energy facilities of at least 200 megawatts capacity. HB 2505 created a full-time renewable energy facilitator to help the state expedite permits. HB 2261 provided loans of up to $1.5 million and up to 85% of the cost of renewable energy projects at farms and

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

facilities. HRS 235 established an income tax credit for photovoltaic systems of the lesser of 35% of the cost or $5,0000.

Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative

On January 28, 2008, the State of Hawaii and the US Department of Energy announced the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which established the commitment for energy to supply 70 percent of Hawaii's energy needs by 2030. The Initiative intended to work with public and private partners on renewable energy projects including: designing cost-effective approaches for 100 percent use of renewable energy on smaller islands, improve grid stability while incorporating variable generating sources and expanding Hawaii's capability to use locally grown crops for producing fuel and electricity. Partners include

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United States ...

EERE The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is an office within the United States Department of Energy. Formed from other energy agencies after the 1973 energy crisis, EERE is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and ...

, the state of

Hawaiian Electric Company Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HEI; ) is the largest supplier of electricity in the state of Hawaii, supplying power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawai'i Electric Light Comp ...

Phoenix Motorcars Phoenix Cars LLC, d.b.a. Phoenix Motorcars, is a developer of zero emission, all-electric vehicles ( EV) based in Anaheim, California, United States, focused on the deployment of light- and medium-duty EVs into the fleet and transit markets. Th ...

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority

The

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (''NELHA'') administers the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST Park). ''NELHA'' was founded in 1974. At , HOST Park is a state-subsidized industrial park for incubator and marginal comm ...

is a test site for experimental renewable energy. It was originally built to test

Ocean thermal energy conversion Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the ocean thermal gradient between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters to run a heat engine and produce useful work, usually in the form of electricity. OTEC can operate with a very hi ...

(OTEC), and later evolved into a commercial (but requiring state subsidies and county agricultural rate potable water) industrial park, including desalinating drinking water for export, aquaculture, biofuel from algae, solar thermal energy, concentrating solar and wind power.

Energy use by sector

Transportation

The electric

Honolulu Rail Transit The Honolulu Rail Transit Project (also known as the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project) is a light metro system under construction in Honolulu County, Hawaii, U.S. The mostly elevated system features design elements from both heav ...

network was planned to transport commuters from to begin operation in late 2020, as of 2019 was scheduled for 2025 at the earliest.

Electricity

Ninety-nine percent of the population in Hawaii (outside of Kauai) is supplied by

Hawaiian Electric Industries Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HEI; ) is the largest supplier of electricity in the state of Hawaii, supplying power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawai'i Electric Light Comp ...

(HECO).

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest islan ...

is supplied by consumer-owned Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. As of 2018, the total dispatchable capacity was 1,727 MW, and the intermittent generation capacity was 588 MW. Each island generates its own power.

Oil

Oil is the largest electricity source. As of 2022, it produced ~2863 MwH, or 38% of the total.

Solar

Solar power in Hawaii The energy sector in Hawaii has rapidly adopted solar power due to the high costs of electricity, and good solar resources, and has one of the highest per capita rates of solar power in the United States. Hawaii's imported energy costs, mostly ...

grew quickly, putting household energy generation below the cost of purchased electricity. In 2017, solar power produced 38.4% of the state's renewable electricity.. As of March 2020, 916 MW of solar generating capacity was installed in HECO areas.

Wind power

As of 2022, Hawaii wind farms were producing 701 MwH or 22.1% of the state's electricity. This is generated by the following wind farms:Hawaii began research into

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

in the mid-1980s with a 340 kW turbine on

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

, the 2.3MW Lalamilo Wells wind farm on

and the 9 MW Kamaoa wind farm on Hawaii Island. The MOD-5B, a 3.2 MW wind turbine, on Oahu was the largest in the world in 1987. These early examples were all out of service by 2010.

Biomass

Hawaii has several biomass electric plants including the 10 MW

Honolulu International Airport Daniel K. Inouye International Airport , also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the main airport of Oahu, Hawaii.waste-to-energy Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste, or the processing of waste into a fuel source. WtE is a form of energy recovery. Mo ...

Honua Power Project on Oahu. The 21.5 MW Hu Honua plant remains in litigation and is not online.

Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...

sold a plant to Hawaii Electric to be installed at Schofield Barracks Army Base on Oahu in 2017. The plant can run on solid or gas fuels including biomass. Pacific Biodiesel operates a biodiesel production facility on Hawaii Island. It provides fuel to Hawaiian Electric Industries, the City and County of Honolulu and marine company Extended Horizons.

Coal

Hawaii has banned new coal plants. Between 1992 and 2022, a single plant operated in the state,

AES Hawaii Power Plant AES Hawaii Power Plant was a medium-size coal-fired electrical power station located in the south-west corner of a Hawaiian island of Oahu. Owned and operated by AES Hawaii, the plant was the only coal-fired power plant in the state of Hawaii, a ...

, which generated 180 MWe. The plant closed in September 2022, accompanied by a 7% increase in electricity rates.

Wave power

The U.S. Navy and the University of Hawaii operate a

Wave Energy Wave power is the capture of energy of wind waves to do useful work – for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power is a wave energy converter (WEC). Waves are generated by win ...

Test Site in Kaneohe Bay.

Geothermal

The

Puna Geothermal Venture The Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) is a geothermal energy power plant on the island of Hawaii, the largest island in the state of Hawaii. The plant was shut down shortly after the start of the May 2018 lower Puna eruption, and resumed power gene ...

was constructed on Hawaii island between 1989 and 1993. It operated until May 2018 when it was shut down due to the

2018 lower Puna eruption The 2018 lower Puna eruption was a volcanic event on the island of Hawaiʻi, on Kīlauea volcano's East Rift Zone that began on May 3, 2018. It is related to the larger eruption of Kīlauea that began on January 3, 1983, though some volcanolog ...

, and resumed production in November 2020.

Algae fuel

Cellana ''Cellana'' is a genus of sea snails or limpets, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Nacellidae, the true limpets.WoRMS (2010). Cellana H. Adams, 1869. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accesse ...

produces oil from algae at a research site at

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it share ...

on Hawaii island. Cellana (previously HR BioPetroleum) worked with

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...

on a pilot facility to grow algae on land leased from the

, on the island's west shore.

References

{{Hawaii