Individuals key for renewable-energy goals

A top Hawaii energy regulator said the first steps to get the state to 100 percent renewable energy dependence begin at Hawaii residents’ homes.

Public Utilities Commission member Lorraine Akiba, one of three commissioners on the panel that oversees the energy future of the state, said energy efficiency is one of the most important renewable resources in Hawaii’s energy portfolio.

“That’s the first fuel,” Akiba said Wednesday in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “It’s the most cost-effective renewable resource, and it involves prosumer customers. … That is how you integrate more renewable energy on the grid of the future. … Those are critical generation resources just as much as a power plant.”

Under the direction of the PUC, Hawaiian Electric Co. has been working with the state to meet the goal of eliminating the use of fossil fuels for electric power by 2045. The state spent $5.4 billion on petroleum in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Approximately one-fourth of the state’s petroleum use goes to electricity.

Hawaii residents have pushed the state toward the goal by installing rooftop solar energy systems. The largest amount of renewable energy connected to HECO’s grid is customer- sited solar at 332 megawatts. The 99 megawatts of utility-scale wind currently operating on Oahu is overshadowed by residents’ rooftop solar.

But Hawaii ratepayers who cannot afford solar can still play a vital role in reaching Hawaii’s renewable future — and save money.

“They can manage their energy usage to be cost-effective on their own bills,” Akiba said.

Blue Planet Foundation, a Honolulu-based clean-energy nonprofit, estimates if all the homes in Hawaii cut their energy bill in half, the state would save $1 million every day in energy costs.

The nonprofit said residents can monitor appliances’ energy use with products like the Belkin Conserve Insight. The tool measures how much energy a device is using and shows how much it costs to operate.

“People think energy efficiency is energy conservation,” Akiba said. “No, it’s using energy wisely, efficiently and cost-effectively. All customers can do it … being smart about your energy usage. You’re empowering yourself as a customer, too.”

Akiba said customers can be a benefit to the electric grid by using smart appliances, such as smart heating air-condition controls. Akiba also provided examples such as programmable appliances — she suggested electricity customers precook meals in the middle of the day with slow cookers.

“When it is precooked already, you don’t have to ramp it up when you get home,” she said. “It is even lifestyle things like that. Use energy wisely — not deny yourself, but use the energy smarter.”

Other ways to cut energy use include shortening showers by two minutes, using retained heat when cooking, turning off cook tops or ovens a few minutes before food has completed cooking, and air-drying dishes instead of using the heated dryer setting on your dishwasher.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using a power strip for electronic equipment and turning it off when the devices aren’t in use can save residents up to 12 percent on their electrical bill every year. Putting desktop computers on sleep mode or using other power management features can save residents up to 4 percent on electrical bills.

Akiba added that Hawaii’s entire energy community is committed to 100 percent renewable-energy dependence no matter who sits in the Oval Office. President-elect Donald Trump will take office Friday.

“If Trump should change that direction, it doesn’t change what Hawaii has to do,” Akiba said. “I am hopeful and confident that our state will continue to lead and be a shining example of what the state can achieve. It will be up to the states now to make that happen.”

Akiba said that Hawaii’s role as a leader in renewable-energy adoption is even more important, considering the changing political landscape.

“Especially now … it is even more critical for states like Hawaii to lead,” she said. “We have to demonstrate. We have to implement. Honolulu can be a model for being a smart city using renewable-energy technology sustainably.”

Akiba said local politics will have the greatest effect on Hawaii’s renewable-energy adoption.

“Trump can say whatever he wants to say about energy policy, but there is no mandated federal national energy policy. It is the states that are driving the change,” Akiba said. “The action will happen now at the states and local municipal level.”

Akiba said local groups involved in Hawaii’s movement to cut the state’s dependence on fossil fuels don’t always agree on how to reach the goal, but everyone is unified in the vision.

After Trump became president-elect, energy stakeholders in Hawaii from Hawaiian Electric CEO Alan Oshima to Gov. David Ige said the electrical utility and state remain committed to the 100 percent goal.

“We don’t all think alike, but that is the beauty of diversity,” she said. “It takes courage and leadership. … We appreciate and we respect the environment, and we want to make sure we are good stewards.”