OKINAWA, Japan » More renewable-energy partnerships between Japan and Hawaii could emerge as an outgrowth of the United States’ first participation in the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Okinawa this weekend, participants said.
U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dan Clune joined ministerial representatives from New Zealand and Australia along with leaders from 13 Pacific islands. Leaders arrived at the summit, which was held Friday and Saturday at the Bankoku Shinryokan resort in Nago, Okinawa, via a motorcade of Nissan Leafs.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda extended the invitation to the United States based on its growing involvement and interest in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly since President Barack Obama assumed office, Noriyuki Shikata, Noda’s deputy Cabinet secretary for public affairs and director of global communications, said in an interview with the Star-Advertiser.
Clune’s involvement meant the interests of Hawaii were represented at the summit, which Japan has hosted every three years since 1997. Topics for PALM6 included natural disaster response, environment and climate change, sustainable development, security and maritime issues.
While the U.S. State Department did not issue any statements regarding Clune’s participation, Shikata said Clune made a presentation at an international workshop on renewable energy. The Saturday workshop at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University aimed to help Pacific Island countries achieve energy security. The event was hosted by Japan and the International Renewable Energy Agency.
"We wish to come up with a common standard between Okinawa and Hawaii so that it’s easier to disseminate information to the Pacific Island forum," Shikata said.
Clune discussed ocean thermal energy conversion and the Hawaii-Okinawa Partnership on Clean and Efficient Energy Development and Deployment at the workshop, Shikata said. Participants also talked about using electric vehicles and smart grids and balancing energy sources, he said.
The dialogue was particularly relevant for Japan, which must determine a new energy mix on the heels of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Shikata said.
"We should have specific figures by summer," he said. "What we know is that we will reduce our dependency on nuclear power. Prime Minister Noda does not have any plan to build new nuclear power plants and we’ll be pushing for solar, wind and geothermal. We are looking to further improve energy efficiency."
While Japan is already the most energy-efficient country in the world, Shikata said, it is pushing for more collaboration. This emphasis will create more opportunity for partnerships in places like Hawaii, he added.
At the close of the summit, Pacific Island leaders underlined the importance of diversifying their energy sources and reducing their dependence on imported fuels through energy road maps, energy-efficient technology and private-sector involvement.
The Pacific Island governments participating in the summit were: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
While Hawaii Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz did not attend the summit, he said in an email to the Star-Advertiser that PALM6 is expected to build on the momentum in Hawaii created by last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.
"We are expecting to work on the continuation of these partnerships in Hawaii this August," he said.
Schatz said that several senior officials from the Japanese government and Hitachi Corp. are expected to participate in the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo planned for Aug. 13-15 in Honolulu.
"Hawaii and Japan are both overly dependent on foreign oil, and that’s why we are working together on clean energy projects," Schatz said. "We’ve got tremendous momentum because we feel the urgency."
Schatz said he was in Japan last month to discuss the launch of the Maui Smart Grid. The project, which is expected to cost $37 million in phase one, is the result of partnerships between Hawaii and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, or NEDO, the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Hitachi Corp.
"Our NEDO-Hitachi Smart Grid project on Maui is launching, and the Japanese and Hawaii governments are collaborating in several areas, including EVs and smart-grid research," Schatz said.
The project is part of the Hawaii-Okinawa clean energy partnership, which was signed in June 2010. Shikata said some energy security and climate change talks at PALM6 were an outgrowth of earlier partnerships between Japan and Hawaii.
Colton Ching, vice president of system operation and planning for Hawaiian Electric Co., said the utility met with Okinawa Electric several times over the past year to exchange ideas on renewable resources, such as solar and wind power.
"Hawaii and Okinawa are similar in that we have small island electric grids and have a common goal of reducing our dependence on imported oil and increasing our use of renewable energy," he said in an email to the Star-Advertiser. "We hope to continue this exchange on information going forward."
